A Little Older, A Little Wiser

I'm a little late with the blog this week. I usually like to have it posted on a Friday - no deadline but my own. However, this week I gave myself a few days off in celebration of my 64th birthday. Unfortunately, I have been told via emails and Facebook that I've had enough time off and it's time to get back to work!

I don't know what it was about this particular birthday that had me so fixated on it. It's not like it's a very momentous birthday like turning 30, 50, 60 or even 65 (I cried for a week when I turned 30 but by 50 I was throwing parties for myself). At first  I thought maybe it was because it wasn't a very significant birthday ... unless you had a different definition of what "significant" means. So I looked back over this past year to see what, if anything, of significance had occurred. As it turned out it was a very special year:

• I found out how very little I needed to be happy. In fact, I discovered that all I really needed was me
• I found out that I could step outside of my comfort zone and nothing bad would happen to me. In fact, something wonderful happened - this blog was born and it has been a blast so far.
• I learned how to sit in total silence for 30 minutes and meet myself again for the first time.
• I learned that when you stop looking for miracles, you find them everywhere.
• I regained my sense of wonder at the world and found that believing in the magic is not just for kids (can I hear some clapping for Tinkerbell here?)
• Most of all, I learned that letting the laundry pile up and the apartment go undusted in exchange for a really good book, an iced latte, a cat on my lap and birds singing outside my window once in a while was not the end of civilization as we know it ... and no, the Housework Police did not show up. If they did, I would have pushed the clothes aside, wiped off the table and offered them a latte.

Every year, every day, every moment of our life is significant. Every day that we wake up, take a breath, and greet the day is significant. How we choose to use that day determines our experience. Looking back now I realize what a significant year it has truly been and I thank each and every one of you who helped to make it so for me. May every day ahead be amazing.

And so it is.