Today is my 30th birthday. I don’t really care about the number, and I certainly do not want to relive my 20th year, but I have made a couple of concessions to thirty.
1. I upgraded my moisturizer from Neutrogena Oil Free SPF 15 to a day cream with SPF 25 and a night cream for 30 year old skin. I’m still using the Proactive, though; having thirty years under my belt has not stopped me from breaking out like a teenager.
2. I’ve joined the ranks of the pedometer wearing exercise crazies. I have a lingering blood sugar issue and my doctor told me to walk more. But, the truth be told, I’m doing it for the money. I earn 60 Healthmiles for every 7000 steps I take through my company’s fitness program, and then I get to cash in my miles for gift cards. Watching this little thing count my every step really has motivated me to move more. I’m not above marching around the house at bedtime to get the last 1000 steps or clipping it on for a middle of the night run to the kitchen for infant Tylenol.
Would I relive any of the past 30 years? Maybe the 19th - that’s when I fell in love with the man God made for me. And, I wouldn’t mind having my 23 year old body again. I really should have enjoyed it more. It’s ironic that I’m so much happier in this 30 year old body, that’s stretched and scarred and 25lbs heavier, than I ever was in my younger body. Maybe that’s because of wisdom or maybe it’s because of motherhood, but I’m certainly glad I no longer obsess over 5 lbs lost or gained.
Would I do anything different? Nope. While I’ve made plenty of mistakes, I do believe that the life I’ve lived makes me who I am today and I would not change that.
Have I learned anything? Ha! I haven’t stopped learning things and I hope I never do.
- I’ve learned that even though it chaps me, it usually is best to suck it up and be the first to apologize in a stalemate.
- I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut. Words don’t need to be said just for the sake of saying words.
- I’ve learned to be more flexible and to let others be in control. Sometimes.
- I’ve learned that I can only do what I can do – in 8 hours, in 24 hours, in a week, and I don’t stress about what doesn’t get done. It’s always there when I get back to it. Especially dishes and laundry.
- I’ve learned to give myself a break sometimes. It makes me a better person.
- I’ve learned to indulge – in a caramel latte, expensive conditioner, a fat book that I’m just going to read in a day’s time and give away, whatever.
- I’ve learned to give things away. It clears my mind and helps someone else.
- I’ve learned when to compromise and when not to. Most things are negotiable, but a few will never be:
1. The path to Heaven.
2. The sanctity of marriage.
3. My relationships with my children.
4. My right to decide what or what not to do with my body.
5. The genius of J.K. Rowling.
- I’ve learned that the things I like least about myself are the very things that will mock me in the faces of my children. And I’m learning how to deal with that.
- I am still learning how to walk around in this world with my heart outside of my body. I think that one really might take the rest of my life.
So, here’s to 30. I hope the next thirty find me as happy and satisfied as I am today.
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