Another Year, Another Gray Hair

I woke up this morning and rolled over in bed to snuggle with my hubby. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I love waking up in the morning. Everything is still so new, the day has yet to take shape, and anything is possible.

Today is even more special. I’m forty-three today and plan to celebrate each and every single year I’ve lived. I’ve never been one of those women who worry about the turn of the calendar. Instead, I take each and every year as the precious gift it is.

When you reach a certain age—which is different for each person—you realize that you’re no longer concerned with what other people think. Not that you’re inconsiderate, you’re just secure in who you are as a person. I no longer worry so much about appearing foolish. I’m forty-three years old, I’ve already appeared foolish more times than I can count. What’s one more time?

The added bonus of getting older is being able to put the past years into perspective. When you reach your forties, you realize just how much darn energy you had when you were twenty. LOL But, you also have the wisdom to know that you’ve got a lot more energy now than you will when you hit your sixties. It’s all in how you look at things.

Most of us by the time we hit forty have had several careers. That’s a plus. You know that you can start over again if you have too. After all, you’ve done it before and survived. There is freedom in that. I spent almost twenty years in retail management before embarking on my writing career. It’s fun and exciting and some days downright scary. But if it all ended tomorrow, I’d at least be able to say I did it. And as you get older that becomes much more important.

So, what do I want for my birthday? Hmmm, here is what I’d like the next year to bring.

I’d like to get healthier this year. I’ve slacked off on the exercise and put on a few pounds the past few years. I’d like to take better care of me. Think of it as maintenance, after all, I want to be around to celebrate quite a few more birthdays.

I’d like to take a few more risks, not play it safe. After all, I’ve been through some of the toughest things a person can ever go through and I’ve survived. So what else is there to be afraid of? I’d like to do a few more things on my “life list of things to do.”

I’d also like to find more balance in my life. Work has taken over my life in the past few years, so it’s time to even things out and have more fun.

I treat every day as if it’s special, because it is. You never know when this amazing ride called life will come to an end. I think about my father, who was terminally ill when he turned forty-three and dead by the time he was forty-five. He died young, but he lived well, in many ways better than I am living.

This year I want to have as much fun as possible and not sweat the small stuff. ‘Cause in the end, most of it doesn’t really matter. It is people and relationships that matter—the connection you have with yourself and with others.

I plan to eat dessert first, do more things that bring me joy, and love myself for exactly the person I am. Not much when you think about it, but when you really stop and think about it, it’s everything.

This is what I know...

Today is my forty-second birthday and in honor of this auspicious occasion, I thought I'd share some of the hard-won lessons of those years.

This is what I know...

Never ask permission, ask for forgiveness instead.
When dealing with a man, if he won't listen to reason then work your way around him.
Lose the excuses, put on your Big Girl panties and own up to your shortcomings.
Learn how to change a tire, it's not rocket science.
Low fat does not equal, low calories.
Eat dessert first unless you're having macaroni and cheese - that comes first.
Don't save your nice things for an 'occasion', do you really want others using your 'good' stuff for your funeral?
Apologize.
Oreo's and anything chocolate make up the fifth food group.
You are not incharge of anyone's happiness other than your own.
It's not a sin to have a cocktail at lunch - try something fruity, be good to your body!
The world was created without your help.
Don't sweat over clean underwear, if you get into a serious accident you're going to poop in them anyway.
Sometimes it just isn't about you.
Buy a vibrator, make a date with yourself.
Buy your clothing a size too big, feel good about yourself!
See a therapist, its one of the most loving things you will do for yourself.
Fitted pants have no place in your closet.
The world doesn't end because you've worn white pants after Labor Day.
Ban all girdles and control top pantyhose from your closet.
It's okay to go to dinner alone.
Strive to be the best (insert name here) you can be.

And finally, my latest theme song. ;) This is from the Broadway show, RENT:

Another Day

The heart may freeze
or it can burn
The pain will ease
if I can learn
There is no future
There is no past
I live this moment as my last

There's only us
There's only this
Forget regret
Or life is yours to miss
No other road
No other way
No day but today

There's only yes
Only tonight
We must let go
To know what's right
No other course
No other way
No day but today

I can't control
My destiny
I trust my soul
My only goal is just
To be

There's only now
There's only here
Give in to love
Or live in fear
No other path
No other way
No day but today...