Birthday Retrospective

Today is December 7th. A date which has lived in infamy since 1941. Today also happens to be my birthday & I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank my parents for not naming me Pearl.

I was born on the 30th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which makes me 36 years old today. I'm feeling pretty good about being 36. Last year was harder b/c 35 was my "scary age". The age at which I started to feel my years (note I said "feel", not "act"). The age where, for the first time in my life, I suddenly felt closer to 40 than 20. The age that technically makes me (gasp!) middle-aged. Middle-aged?! I can't be! I'm only little.

So this past year has really been one of learning for me - about how to get past all of those stereotypes & negative feelings about aging. Focusing on the experiences & people in my daily life rather than obsessing over whether or not my hair (or my weight!) is having a good day or a bad day. And I feel like I'm in a better headspace about it now. I am by no means over all of my body hang-ups or various other obsessive-compulsive tendencies, but I think I might be over that first hill & coasting down the opposite side. Coasting is nice.

And considering the fact that I got animal-shaped rubber bands & crayons for my birthday, I may actually be closer to 10 than 40.

Thirty-sixerly,
PortlandGirl

p.s. Special birthday wishes go to everyone's friend Chris Burke & my grade school birthday twin, Heidi Sopinka.