Birthday...me this time

Today is my birthday. I love my birthday. I'm very childlike about it in a way. I love getting the cards and talking to people on the phone. I totally loved getting the birthday wishes on Facebook today and I love getting to spend the day with family and friends and just take that time to honor my life and those who are in it because it's a good one.

Ever since I was little, I've marked the coming of my birthday by a few things. First, when the cicadas start their summer song, I know that my birthday is approaching. And when the county fairs get going, I know that my birthday is coming. And when it gets really hot and humid and we get thunderstorms at night, I know my birthday is just about here. I love marking this time every year. I don't have that aversion to getting older that I see so many people around me having. I didn't have a hard time turning 30 and I don't think I'll have a hard time with any other "milestone" birthdays or anything in between. I guess I just see getting older as a rite of passage. With age, you hopefully gain wisdom and a different perspective on life. You lose some of the pettiness that comes with being young. You start to see the falibility of life and realize how very precious each day is and learn to be grateful for every day. And that's what I feel. I'm grateful to be here each and every day. Grateful to watch my children grow up, grateful to be in this world and have the opportunity to learn, love and grow every day. Grateful to have the opportunity to make a difference in someone's life. I just think that life is too short to lament being another year older and therefore, I refuse to do it. I will continue to love my birthdays and to celebrate them with great abandon because it's better than the alternative and Life is Good!