What!? I turned 40?!

Last Saturday (October 3rd to be exact), I turned the big 40.  Of course, it's just a number...right!  There are times when I wake up in the morning and I feel 40 (especially on those rainy days that my back doesn't like very much).  Then, there are days when I wake up and feel like I'm 20 again (that is until my 45 year-old husband and my 7 year-old son join me--who are they?  My 20 year-old self doesn't remember them!)

All in all, I'm okay about turning 40.  Sure I'd prefer to start counting down the years instead of counting upward, but until someone can reverse the aging process, "I get what I get, and I don't get upset."  Or, as one of my philosophy teachers once explained (the name escapes me--I think it's a sign of old age), I have three choices in the great river of life--I can battle the current, I can swim with the current, or I can jump out of the current altogether.  Me?  I'll swim with the current.  I'm much too tired to battle or to jump out!

Entering a new decade, as I've learned, makes you reflect A LOT on previous decades.  My 20's were all about being self-indulgent.  I traveled, I studied, I spent lots of money on myself, and I daydreamed about finding Mr. Right.  My 30's, as it turned out, were completely the opposite.  At age 30, I married my best friend, and two years later, we had Little Lewie.  My 30's were all about sharing, compromising, giving of oneself, and making sacrifices; they were all about finding meaning and recognizing that there is a greater purpose in life than, well, just me. 

Now I begin a new adventure.  It's hard to say just what being 40 will teach me, but I do know that I'm entering the decade a little smarter, a little wiser, and much more grateful than before.  I've become more spiritual through the years, and I've learned to pray, to believe, to hope.  I've learned to have more confidence and patience with myself, and I've learned to be more accepting and understanding of others.  If I can choose what these upcoming years will teach me, I pray that they will teach me how to find balance, how to stay positive (even through the storms), how to have fun, how to be appreciative, and how to dream. 

Last week, against my wishes, my mom threw me a surprise party (and, of course, my husband helped her carry it out to perfection).  I honestly thought I didn't want a party for my 40th.  Who wants to celebrate being a decade older?  What I didn't know is that a party was exactly what I needed.  All my loved ones--family, friends, relatives--were there to support me and make me feel special.  My son summed up the experience perfectly:  "Mom, today is going to be the best day of your entire life." 

Yes, from the minute my day began (when my son sang happy birthday to me without being prompted) to the minute I fell asleep (exhausted by the surprise and sheer excitement of the day), I felt incredibly blessed.  May I remember just how blessed I am this year and every year.  Hello 40, I'm ready for you now...

Picture of my mom, Lewie, and me at my surprise party.

Picture with hubby at party.

A "nice" picture with hubby.