Hello! How was your week? Filled with plenty of grateful thoughts….big, little, or in between?
Over this past week, I have taken five or so minutes each day to note those events for which I am grateful.
Although it’s typically been one of the last things I do before bed, today I already made a couple notes – for context, it’s Saturday evening. I might tell you more in this post, but I might delay a couple more weeks when I make grander observations. Suspenseful, right!?!?
The backdrop of this post is a certain celebration coming up between this and my next post; however, I do not mean Valentine’s Day, because this single girl doesn’t care! Enjoy your overpriced flowers and chocolates, while I cry myself to sleep!
Kidding!
It’s my birthday, but pretty please no gifts! Well, the best gift is reading my blog, so thank you for that!! It’s honestly the best gift you could give! Or share it….that’s a fantastic gift as well!
This 41st anniversary of my birth is hitting me differently than all others, which I can assert definitively, based on my splendid current circumstances. Historically, I detested my birthday, secretly hoping it would go completely unnoticed and uncelebrated. Fun fact, I would hide my birthday from Facebook several days prior, so no one would get any notifications, thus preventing excessive attention.
This year on the other hand, I am going to embrace another year under my belt, feeling grateful for the fact I have 41 years of experience on this planet. It is no coincidence to me that my joy with who I am, how I feel and look, is one of the main reasons for this difference. In fact, I am actually mentioning my birthday as though people care, whether or not they actually do!
One of the funnier parts of talking about an upcoming birthday is that anyone older than you will comment on the age you are turning, often ranking your soon-to-be age compared to other ages they have experienced. Frequently, these individuals are talking favorably about that age, despite grievances we may be sharing, such as how I felt old after turning 40. I mean, I was totally dreading that birthday!
Caught you! Anyone over 40 just thought about how they like their 40s, right??? Hehe! No judgment because I am coming around a bit.
We value the experience we have gained over the years, which is becoming increasingly obvious this year. One month after my 21st birthday, I started my first full time job, while continuing full time course work in college. I really wanted to move out from my parents’ house and start living life; as opposed to the college life at home working part time, which felt more like a pause button on real life.
I am so grateful for that decision, because I started building experience before some of my peers, plus it was pretty fun! The experience dating back to age 21 has been expanded upon exponentially, since I am able to put new situations in a wider context. Think back to your first job, first relationship, or first anything, focusing on what you’ve learned from it, specifically those experiences you can still draw from. We’ve learned quite a bit!!
How often do we chuckle at younger people who say and do the same things we said or did at their age? Countless times in recent years, I have wanted to apologize to many of my former coworkers for some of my actions back in the day. While I want to believe I wasn’t this dumb, my experience tells me otherwise.
Full transparency, how often do those younger folks chuckle at us for all the time, effort, and money we spend trying to look younger?!?! Those aren’t wrinkles, we call those experience creases, and I am grateful for them! Now finish your juice box, so you can get back to work on that report due on my desk by 5 PM.
Everyone’s body and looks will deteriorate over time, but our experiences will only grow, which is another version of beauty, rooted in comfort and safety. How reassuring is it to hear: I have done something like this before, and I am living to tell you about it, and oh, here are the lessons I learned along the way.
Conversely, how remarkable is a new experience when we feel like we’ve experienced so much already?
This is the perfect segue back to the beginning, when I considered whether to reveal a situation I was grateful for earlier today. Well, here it is briefly: I attended a morning retreat filled with almost exclusively women, the vast majority of whom I had never met. This can be an intimidating experience for me, mostly because I worry about not being accepted, even though I’ve never experienced unacceptance previously.
Anyway, I was talking to a woman next to me about appearance and style, when I casually mentioned how important my closet and clothes were for me when transitioning. Her response was genuine surprise by….. the fact I am trans. I was stunned, like I couldn’t speak other than utterances of disbelief. In all my experience, I never believed it was ever possible to actually pass.
So in these final days whilst 40, I am reflecting on my journey to this very moment, specifically all those valuable learning opportunities, whether positive or negative, that make me who I am. At the same time, I am opening up to new possibilities, even those that seem impossible today.
By extension, I challenge all of you to reflect on your journey to this moment. Each night, as you ruminate the events of that day, make particular note of situations made easier by your experience.
Additionally, keep in mind that your experiences, combined with who you are, make you the incredibly wonderful person that is you! I value your unique you!!!
Have an amazing week everyone!!