38 is Great!

My mom raised me not to wish my life away and to be grateful for every birthday celebrated. While I often struggle with the former--I'm impatient and tend to think to the future rather than enjoy the moment--I've never struggled with the latter. I love my birthday. Almost every year of my life has proven better than the last. And I've had some good years!

I looked up a post I wrote on my 34th birthday and am happy to confirm that as I bridge from mid-thirties to late-thirties, I'm still digging this decade of my life. But, I don't feel old like I did four years ago--perhaps because I'm no longer mothering a three-month-old and not-quite-two-year-old; it's amazing the energy you regain when you get steady sleep.

No, at 38, I don't feel old. I feel experienced and naive. I feel hopeful and fearful. I feel balanced and unsteady. I feel settled and scattered. I feel confident that I can tackle all these conflicting feelings that change day-to-day. Except those days when I feel like I can't even get out of bed. But, I'm embracing it all.

I feel aged--in the best way possible. And even as I write this, I know I'll look back on this years from now and laugh at myself. Aged. I'm just getting started...