Another Year And Counting
When I was a kid, October was my favorite month of the year. In recent years, it has not been. Not because Autumn is here and the leaves change colors, I actually quite enjoy that part. Not because of Halloween, although truthfully a holiday centered around handing out sackfuls of candy to little children doesn’t sit quite right with me. Not because the temperatures are dropping, I love sweater season!
The reason is simple. Every October I am forced, kicking and screaming in years past, to declare that I am one year older. I don’t know many women, myself included, who enjoy this particular part of life. Most of us unanimously agree that this aging thing kinda sucks. Wrinkles, bags, dark circles, gray hair and evidence that gravity still prevails… Gee, what’s not to love?
In years past, as the dreaded day approached, I would find myself feeling restless and sometimes even agitated. I don’t feel that way this year. In fact quite the contrary, I find myself feeling very satisfied, happy and even grateful this particular October.
Even though I have to claim that I am one year older and check a different age group box on all those generalized forms you have to fill out, regardless of the fact that my Dad finds it rather comical to remind me of just how many candles there are beginning to be, and even though my kids looked at me like I myself was a prehistoric dinosaur when they learned that Mom was actually alive when CD’s came out (you should have seen their faces when they found out we didn’t have iPod’s back in the day), I am happier and healthier this birthday than any other birthday in my entire life. What a blessing!
This year as my birthday draws closer, I find myself looking at things in a different light. The year that has passed between last October and now doesn’t feel “lost”. I don’t see it as me turning another year older. I look back on that time and I see more. I see me growing a year healthier, another year stronger, another year wiser. I see a year that I was lucky enough to spend in the company of family, friends and loved ones. I see a year of being in the gym, reaching my own fitness goals and helping others do the same, a year working in an industry I am passionate about. I see a year of lessons learned, a year of friendships established and a year full to the brim of happiness. I see a year well spent, and it makes me smile.
As I look towards next October when I will age another year, my heart leaps a little and I get butterflies in my stomach! I have so much to look forward to! Memories to create and cherish with those I hold dear to my heart, children to watch in utter amazement, knowledge to gain, friendships to grow and nurture, happiness to find and share with those around me, smiles to give. I have life to live.
Whatever it is that has brought about this change in me, I am grateful for it. I am thankful for all of my countless blessings. But I am especially grateful for this change in how I see things. It has allowed me to see that this whole aging thing may not be as bad as I thought.