One of my 'sisters' has a significant birthday happening on Wednesday which has got me to thinking about what I was going to write in her card and so I would like to share my philosophy on birthdays.
I take my birthday off work so I can live that day to the fullest - sometimes it is having lunch with friends and family, sometimes it is driving down the freeway with the sunroof open and the wind in my hair (given my birthday is late July I really love it when they day is sunny - which so far luckily most have been), sometimes it is just having a day at home pottering around, but it is my day - the day I came into the world and so in it's own way my special day - for without it I would not be here.
As I have got older I look at birthdays as steps in my life journey, and the big ones 30, 40, 50, 60 and so on are the really special ones. These are the ones where we should celebrate the things we have achieved, reflect on the things we have not and either put them away and accept we most probably never will - or look at it as a chance to try even harder to achieve them. The days when we should be kind to ourselves, to accept that we are not perfect but we are in our own way unique and that we should be proud to have gotten to where we are in life.
Maybe these can even be days when we pat ourselves on the back for most of us don't take the time to do that.
So if you are celebrating a special "Big 0" birthday this year - happy birthday to you - may this birthday be extra special just the way that you are. If you are having a normal birthday soon - happy birthday to you - enjoy the fact that you have achieved another step in your life journey - for some of us unfortunately have a lot less than others and we never know when your last birthday will come.
And to my 'sister' - how lucky I am to have you in my life, I cherish our friendship, I love our laughs together, I value your heartfelt advice but most of all I love you just because you are you. With love on your special Big 0 Day - Karen xxx
Hello Beautiful...
ReplyDeleteThe big one certainly has me reflecting and I agree with you about putting the things that you haven't achieved to rest or getting the energy to go get them. For me, I have little regret and for that which I do, I find energy to repair as best I can. In an ideal world we all would know perfection in love and have skills to raise our children and be in relationships that didn't damage but support only positive growth. I give myself permission to let go of that which I no longer have control over and to be the best I can be from each moment forward. I think/feel that it is self permission that can unstick us as we age. This is not to say that I shirk responsibility for any part I have played but to recognise and own that which is mine, be grown up and take responsibility. I find as I age, I feel like I have less to lose. My self indulgences of pride and the masks I wear are less important to me. Being real, being honest with myself and others even when some pain is felt, is what I gather with age.(Along with the wrinkles...) Have you noticed how an older woman who is relatively happy in her skin has eyes that sparkle in a different light to that of a young woman? There is strength with knowledge...
So to you my beautiful friend... Thankyou... for your smile, your warmth, your sharing, your courage and your love. I will have my special day tomorrow and count in one more blessing, YOU.
P.