Last week was my birthday. 7 - 11, a date and numbers about which I have always felt lucky. I have opted to believe that the stars aligned with some bit of magic when I was birthed, and that the moon, which very overtly seems to rule my moods and whims, was watching out for me and remains somehow in my corner. I take it all with a grain of salt and don’t plan the days of my life around these things, but they reside permanently and happily in the back of my mind.
My life thus far has been a good one. Like most humans, I have had my fair share of challenges and disappointments, of heartbreak and sadness. But there are many things of which I am proud, and many more for which I am grateful.
In terms of being proud, in a macro sense that would include keeping an open and positive mind and heart despite some intense challenges. I have grown myself up emotionally and feel like these days I am being myself pretty darn well. I remain open to change, to new ideas and experiences.
One of the things of which I am the proudest is having mostly single-handedly raised a wonderful young human who is himself smart and kind and hard working. He is well on his way on a positive life path and watching him take each step remains one of the greatest thrills of my life.
I am proud that I am a deeply kind person and choose to believe that kindness is indeed a form of intelligence as some have claimed (though, admittedly, I might have gone further faster professionally had I been a little less so).
I am proud that I no longer feel the need to explain myself or apologize for actions that I do FOR me as opposed to against anyone. I am willing to let go of those things that no longer work for me, be they friends, jobs, or ways of thinking. After decades of life, including strife, struggle, joy, challenges and celebrations, I feel I have arrived at myself in a satisfying way.
Am I done evolving? Nope. Have all my dreams come true? No, of course not. Who would I be if I didn’t always have a dream to chase? Some new goal to set on my horizon line? And I have of late been disappointed by some folks I had thought were long time friends only to realize how shallow our ‘friendship’ really was. But this too, I have opted to let go. I am very clear that I do not want a ‘friend’ who disappears inexplicably after decades of sharing our lives. Time to let this - along with anything else that feels heavy or burdensome - disappear. To let it drift off and away from my fingertips as if it were a small bird I had grasped gently but which is now free to flutter away.
I hope that you will arrange for a quiet moment on your next birthday to consider your actual Self. We lead such hectic lives these days, it is valuable to give ourselves a chance to reflect on where we are, where we have been, and who we are striving to become. I have found that we tend to be pretty hard on ourselves (perhaps especially we women), and we often deserve a lot more credit than we give ourselves.
And lest we forget the importance of good old fun! Take a moment (or a day), to act your shoe size. Play in a sprinkler. Walk barefoot in the grass. Nap in a hammock. Never underestimate the power of play and the importance of sheer fun.
And speaking of fun, here are some cool events that have happened over the years on July 11;
The RFK Bridge, also known as the Triborough Bridge, opened to traffic in New York City (1936).
“Get Down, You Fool!” was shouted to him, as Abraham Lincoln survived in battle as the only US president to come under enemy fire (1864).
David Bowie released his renowned single Space Oddity. The fan favorite became Bowie’s first No. 1 hit in the UK (1969).
The Hollywood Bowl opened (1922).
To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee was first published (1960).
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom (1977).
E.B. White, the American journalist and author who penned the children’s classics Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, was born in Mount Vernon, New York.
Wishing you on your special day a sense of accomplishment and reflection, of joy and celebration. Go forth and enjoy!
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