February is a busy month for us. Physically and emotionally. We start the month with my Husband's birthday and boom, a week later it's my birthday, followed by Valentine's Day.

This birthday was especially different for me. For one, early pre-menopause is a monster. My irritability level is escalating and I'm crying for everything?! Emotions are high to say the least. I also had to work this year, which I'm not accustomed to. We usually travel for our birthdays and Valentine's Day. While I'm sitting here marinating in these unwanted changes, it hits me... When I was a kid, I dreamed of being 10 years old. Double digits was so cool to me. Then I turned 10 and anticipated being a teenager. I wanted to be 13. How grown, I thought. Thirteen came along and I wanted to be 16. I couldn't wait to drive a car. I turned 16 anticipating 18. Graduation and adulthood was the dream - dream (laugh out loud). I turned 18 waiting for 21. Real adulthood with bars. When I finally turned 21, I wanted to be 25. Twenty-five felt like an appropriate age to get my crap (life) together. Ha. I didn't have crap figured out so I moved on to 30. That was the ultimate milestone. I dreamed about turning 30 in Italy. A birthday of a lifetime. I found out I was pregnant a month before my birthday. I celebrated 30 with my face in a toilet. Day and night morning sickness. Ugh. They call that hyperemesis gravidarum these days and it sucked the life out me for 38 weeks. I survived 30. Still not sure how, but I did. I survived 31 as well. I jumped out of a plane on my 32nd birthday. If you're looking for a metaphor here, you're not wrong in seeking one. I hit rock bottom and plummeting out of the sky felt appropriate. I can't possibly sum up 33 so lets just get to 35. I think we all celebrated our 2020 birthdays in similar fashion; waiting for 2021.

I've been anticipating a birthday and waiting on an appropriate age most of my life. The mindful side of me says there's plenty of time. There's so much life to live. The hater in me says, I'm wasteful. All that precious time wasted waiting, and I'm still getting my crap together.

You know what? It doesn't matter. All those birthdays still led to this one. I learned. I grew. I changed. From one year to the next, I overcame every obstacle thrown my way. Some by choice. Some by default. Either way, I'm still standing and I'm not waiting anymore.

Birthdays are milestones in the sense that they remind us how far we've come. In case you haven't noticed, time isn't slowing down for any of us. It goes on with or without us. Birthdays are gifts. The ultimate gift. More time to live and more time to enjoy living. Lets stop passing through them in hopes of a better "birthday" and better timing. Stop postponing commitments and goals. Start things today. Do something today! This also applies to that “New Year New Me“ mindset we hear around the New Year. Stop that. Stop waiting on time. Don't delay what you can do today.

So here's to living now... enjoying and fulfilling all 365 days of our year. May our days have grace and may our hearts find peace and appreciation in all that we experience. Happy Birthday to all!

Peace & Love,

Xx Dee

Happy New Year!

The perks of sharing a birthday with the Chinese New Year. So thoughtful & accurate.