40 Candles

I turned 40 today. I have no issue with that. I’ve accomplished my goal of being more fit at 40 than I was at 30. I wasted too much of the last decade being unhappy with myself. I intend for my 40s to be nothing short of Fabulous! Except I didn’t ring in Decade #4 with all the fanfare, bells and whistles that I would have normally. In fact I turned out to be a very dull birthday girl. Like I said, I have no issues with turning 40 – in a way I think it’s cool. 40 certainly doesn’t sound or seem as old as it used to. I can list some awesome badasses proudly in their 50s so whining about 40 seems silly.

I think my dullness had a lot to do with extenuating circumstances out of my control. A temporary financial snafu blindsided us this week, and a few job leads seem to be growing cold. I just wasn’t really in the celebratory mood I thought I’d be in. Adding to my dullness I swore off drinking until I’m re-employed (like that word? just made it up.), and I spent January detoxing my body of processed sugars, dairy and grains. I was unwilling to mess up that progress - even for a milestone b'day. I ended up buying a birthday cake for myself that I didn’t eat – so that my children could sing Happy Birthday to me. They were so sweet – and were upset that I didn’t have a cake.

My entry into the BIG 4-0 wasn’t all bad. So many friends and family reached out to me that day. Some even acknowledged all “8 Days of Pam”. It’s a real thing. My dearest friends know all too well what that is. My point is – even without birthday cake, or a proper party and even with all the extra junk going on – I know I’m a lucky girl. American Cancer Society “celebrates birthdays”, and I’m aware that so many won’t have theirs. I have my health. I have my family’s health. All the other noise going on will eventually fade away and cease to matter. So Cheers to a Healthy and Fit 4^th Decade!

 Ps – want the upside of my dullness? (-15 lbs J) Happy Birthday to me!