Another Birthday. Another Attitude Change. Another Day to Celebrate Life.

My birthday is on a Monday, a normal workday, and a proposal deadline. Albeit, I am determined to have a good day.

A Little Indulgance
I plan on enjoying croissants and fruit for breakfast, a visit to Starbucks for a seasonal eggnog latte treat, and then, after I survive a crazy day of work, going out with my family for sushi for dinner. Oh, and maybe enjoy a mocha, mud pie (anyone know where I can get one of those) for dessert, because, hey, why not indulge for the day? I am also hoping that Mr/s Weatherperson gives us give us the forecast of a 30 degree drop from today's 80 degree temperature so that I can wear my favorite sweater tomorrow.

Manic Mondays
I remember a birthday that fell on a Monday while I was at college. My birthday always falls on finals week and due to the craziness of that time, no one would remember that it was my birthday. That particular year, I had three finals on my birthday; the first one was scheduled for 7am. On top of the full day, I had another final set for early the next day that I had to still study for that. In between finals, I sat on the curb and cried. Cried my heart out because I was so exhausted and I thought I had just flunked my first final. I pulled myself together, got up and went back to my dorm room to study when I saw the big sheet, birthday cake on my desk from my mom; big enough to share with everyone on that floor. My mom came through. She also gave me a sweater as a gift, and, if you knew me at all you would know that, I love my sweaters (and why do I live in this warm weather climate again?).


Those Young People Think They are so Cool and All
Celebrating another birthday is getting more, and more, difficult as time passes. I'm getting older and I am having a difficult time accepting that fact. Age has such a stigma and the younger look up to the older with less respect. How do we get around falling into society's trap that "younger is better"?

Childlike Excitement
For my kids' birthdays I fill their rooms with the number of balloons of their age so they can wake up to those colorful, floating material all around them. Then we make a breakfast of their choice and go out or make a dinner of their own selection. They open their presents in the morning and I hang a big "Happy Birthday" Scooby Doo sign in the dinning room. We try to make such a big deal about celebrating them and their lives each year. They can't wait to grow another year older. My eight year old can't wait to turn nine because eight was the longest year of his life. What happened to our little child excitement on a our very special day?

Beauty from the Inside Out!
As adults we have to face that we are getting older and we still have to go to work and meet deadlines even on the day we were born. And plus, we are feeling old, cranky, and achy, although I'm determined to stay up past 9:30pm.

We all work so hard to loose weight, whiten our teeth, visit the dermatologist more frequently, buy more expensive face creams, and color our hair every six weeks, but what are we doing to grow more mature, to be more loving, to learn life lessons, to grow more beautiful on the inside?

I know that our attitudes about age really affect our here and now and I'm determined to celebrate life daily. How do you approach each birthday? With dread or celebration? How do you celebrate you?

Here is to another birthday; a year committed to working on an eternal beauty, striving for what is not of this world, an inner being that radiates love, and an attitude that is willing to forgive. Here is to looking our very best than ever before from the inside and out! Here is to another year of life.

PS While I am still trying to embrace life and enjoy every moment in the here in now, I'm still going to start fibbing about my age, starting next year.

Agelessness

Some people try to act and look younger than they are by wearing trendy clothes such as big bows in their hair or leggings and a shirt that doesn't quite cover their posterior end - and frankly sometimes the trendy styles can make us look older (okay, I finally had to give up my low-slung jeans because I have a "slight" belt overhang - bit embarrassing).

And then there are those who act older than they are complaining about aches and pains and how old they are when they are only 40 for Pete's sake (eh hem, don't look over here, I can embrace that I'm over 30 - but that's all, don't ask for any older okay?).

Why can't people just accept themselves for the age that they are today? It seems that life always looks sweeter before or after our current age.

As we live in a world filled with social conscienceness, intoxicated by the issues of age and beauty, we all know society is more accepting of the younger generation. They are, by the way, the generation we see graced on billboards and in magazines wearing bikinis and glamorous clothes with the flawless skin and skinny legs. The older generation that we see are wearing blazers and button up shirts and talking politics.

A friend of mine gave me about five magazines to peruse since she had already finished thumbing through the pages. Just reading the cover titles screamed of anti-aging! Some cover headlines read, "Look Younger Now!" "Smoother skin, fewer lines, anti-aging vitamins," "Tone every bulge," "Anti-aging secrets nobody tells you." It is all the big topic on how to fool the public on your REAL age.

We also see all those 40+ year old celebraties that look amazingly young and we think if they can do it why can't we? We forget they make a lot more money than we do and can afford the creams, and in-house yoga classes, and Whole Foods super markets. They also seem to have more time between filming to exercise. In addition to all that they also have a stylist for goodness sake (and someone cleaning their house I'm sure).

How much effort should we really take to achieve "agelessness?"

To keep our weight off we have to exercise double the time in the gym than our twenty-year-old counterparts. We also have to eliminate bread, red meat, sodas, and all the sweets from our diet to keep the inches off our waist. To keep our smooth skin and subtle lines we need to do a six-step process every morning and every night - taking up precious sleep time. We also have to keep updated on fashion by scouring those magazines with those young skinny girls in it making us completely depressed and frustrated with how we look ourselves.

Striving for an "ageless" look is a full-time job! But what about our money-making "real" full-time job, our husband, and two kids? What about soccer practice and soccer games, drama classes and play practice, how about homework, playdates, and youth group? What about our husband's schedule, working late nights or going out of town, or just having date nights? What about the book to write or read, coffee with girlfriends, volunteering at church, cleaning our house, or running our dog? What about life? How can we exercise, eat right, buy expensive product, and stay in fashion all the same time?

We can't do it all! What is your idea of "agelessness" and how far will you go to achieve it? Of the four means of achieving this younger look, which is the most important to you?

So if you want instant youthfulness without all the hassle, just pull out your scissors and snip some bangs. But then again, some beauty comes with, well let me try to say this gently, age.

We can't forget to live life - if we forget that, what is the purpose of looking "ageless" anyway?

What Does Age Got To Do With It?

Sandra Bullock made a home run.

Her recent movie, The Blind Side, becomes one of the few female-centered films to cross the $200 million mark at the US box office beside the 2002 romantic comedy “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” (we own that movie – what a low-budget surprise!) which, earned $241.1 million domestically.

After seeing most of her movies and contemplating on her recent “People’s Choice Award” I started thinking about what was so cool about her.

What I Like About Sandra:

• Her movies. Have we just all seen her play Lucy in “While You Were Sleeping,” a 1995 movie? She was convincing as she fell in love with her “sleeping” pretend boyfriend and then falls for the brother.
  
  Or Lucy again in “Two-Week Notice” a 2002 movie with co-star Hugh Grant. Remember when she laid prostrate on the street to stop a bulldozer from flattening a historical site in her protest as an environmental lawyer?
  
  “ The Proposal” was such a reminder of her 1995 movie as once again she falls in love with the family of her pretend fiancé and once again leaves the alter with a moment of truth and confession.
  Now there are critics who say her only good movies were “Speed” and “Crash,” but you have to admit, she has been very entertaining portraying the girl-next-door type that has been so endearing.
   
• An un-traditional life. Well, I’m sure it is difficult living a traditional lifestyle while, well, being famous and all, but her path has really not been any type of cookie cutter life. She traveled with her German opera singing mom throughout Europe as a child, married at age 41, and her husband is completely unexpected character for a gal who sang opera growing up. And as of today, she hasn’t borne a baby, but it would not surprise me if in the next couple years we do hear that she is pregnant.
  
  
• Her many hairstyles. From long, bushy, and out of control to short, straight, and sassy, Sandra has had her hair cut, colored, and styled so many different ways. I also have to admit, I have brought in a photo of Bullock twice to my hair dresser and she has tried to copy the style and look, although it never looks the same. My naturally crazy hair, just can't match her straight, perfect hair.
  
  
• Mishaps do occur to her too. She was in an airplane crash, her new house was deemed unlivable, a fan tried to run her husband over, and she was in a head on car collision. Not that I would want anything to happen to her, it just reveals that she also puts on her pants one leg at a time.
  
  
• Her honesty. When Sandra spoke of her “naked” scene in the Proposal she confessed that her body has been of all different sizes and she finds it humorous and uses it to entertain not impress.
  
  
• Her age. Of all the great aspects about Sandra, it is her age that I appreciate the most. I know we should not just like someone for their age, but she makes being 45 look good. When you think of someone at that age, you don’t think main stream. You start thinking maybe a bit of grey hair, wrinkling skin, out dated attire. Although at 45 years old she looks good and hip. She is older than I am and she actually makes me feel okay about my age (and she looks younger than me!) 

Have you read those articles that tell you what not to do after age 40? I saw a list when my husband and I were mulling lazily around in a basement bookstore in San Francisco: * don’t get a tattoo. * don’t wear a thumb ring. * don’t wear low-rise pants. * don’t wear fishnet stockings.

Okay, they are all negotiable and it makes me want to go out and get another tattoo and wear a thumb ring – I just might do that. But the great thing about all those years is that I finally know how to dress my body. I know what colors look good on me, to avoid boat neck shirts, that low-rise pants are more comfortable, and that “kitten-heel “shoes are as high as it is going to go.

 I also learned not to take life so seriously and my emotional state is so much more stable (among other things that I will talk about on another post).

In the recent movie, “It’s Complicated,” Meryl Streep at age 60 plays a woman with a love interest. Awesome. This article here talks about how her flowy clothes and longer hair are ways they kept this gal chic.

Today I managed to sneak myself down to the outlet mall near the Mexico border. I hit my favorite store first, JCrew. I have been a JCrew fan since I was 18 when I saved my fruit sorting money to order one of their famous rugby’s. I am such a JCrew fan, although I have never bought an item for full price. While in the store, I was next to another lady rummaging through the racks. She complained that they were getting low on their inventory and we chatted a bit. She had grey hair and looked hip. She was retired, a grandma, and still shopping JCrew. Cool. So I don’t have to give up that store when I turn a certain age.

What does age matter anyway? Men seem to be getting great movie roles and CEO positions no matter what their age, where women have been known not to be able to get a job after their 30’s in the movie business, but I also hear women in their sixties after being one of the first to be laid off in their jobs during this economic time and not being able to get hired for another position.

I know it is all around, but you have to think there is some truth to that. Age can be so limiting and box one into a compartment, but I think the women who have forged before us are showing us a new youthful process to aging. Expectations are being chattered and all is changing.

I have been preoccupying too much of my thoughts on my age since I turned 25. I just can’t let my age keep me from being, doing, and dressing the way I want. I just need to keep living everyday to the fullest, no matter the age.

So for Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep, three of my friends who just turned 50, and the many other women who have gone before us in making age look cool, thank you.

How has age changed your perspective and attitude on life?

Other articles: Salina Scott

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What I've Learned Since Age 30

Today I am celebrating turning yet another year older. I've always had a difficult time excepting my age and I avoid, in all my efforts, to never reveal my true age. Yes, I've even lied about my age before (sting gun me now).

But when I look back, I have to say I wouldn't want to go back. On this day of reflection, I started thinking about what I have learned since I was age 30.

A lot. Yes I have learned a lot - some surface stuff, some deep stuff. But, I will have to say, the year that I enjoyed being the most from all my years of life (notice how I still avoid telling you my age) is age 30. Not 29, but age 30.

Here is what I have learned about myself and life since I was my favorite age:

1. My favorite colors are lemon yellow and some pinks. Seriously. I've always said it was blue, but now I have come to terms that I am a bit more girlie than I would have liked to admit. (Yes, I did say some things were a bit on the surface, but hang in there with me.)
   
   
2. I actually am a bit crafty and do like to go to Michael's Craft Store and JoAnn's Fabrics. Growing up I hated art class and "craft time." It was later while a production manager when I discovered more about the differences in paper and some graphics tips that I started making handmade Christmas cards for our family and then later for others. Now I want to start making crafty t-shirt with cool designs and I also want to learn how to make jewelry. Who knew - but don't put me in the crafty category quite yet.
   
   
3. I love being a mom. I'm not one of those who dreamed of having a family, buying a home, and "settling down." Count me out people! I wanted to have a career and travel.  Experience life, explore, and be free. Having kids was not on my agenda. I'm just not a kid person. But, low and behold, I had two kids and I just love being a mommy. I love my boys and now, even as they are in elementary school, I still smile when I hear them call me "mom." It certainly is such a privilege and an honor to be a mother.
   
   
4. I discovered that my favorite "holiday" is Mother's Day! (After Christmas of course.) I love that day and my "boys" spoil me terribly. I like this day better than my birthday. I know I share Mother's Day with so many other people, but I still can't believe I get to mother these beautiful boys.
   
   
5. I've been selfish all these years. Okay, so I kind of known that before I turned 30, but now I really know it. Once you get married and then later have kids, our perspective on ourselves certainly changes when we have to share things, save money, and give up our time. I think back at some of the fabulous birthday presents or the acts of love people have given to me in the past and just didn't appreciate it as much as I appreciate it now.
   
   
6. To embrace life. Why is it that we give ourselves age deadlines? Example: At age 21 need to graduate from college, get married no later than age 25, by age 30 have all my babies, by age 35 need to live in our dream home, at age 40 be the best in my profession, by age 45 own a second home, and by age 50 I need to be whatever people say at that age.
   
   Let me just say, those were not my goals, and even if they were, I am so way behind the "schedule." Anything can happen along the way to kick you off your age track. Death in the family, financial problems, meet spouse later in life, infertility problems, loss of job, bad economic times, and the list goes on.
   
   If you miss your age deadline then you feel old and disappointed and you have missed out on what you could have enjoyed in that stage of life. Embrace today. We are still young. My golly, I remember fearing turning age 30 - for goodness sakes, at that age we are still young and I'm still young now. Why do I have to act like "my age" anyways? Let's embrace life and LIVE.

Here is to living our life today and not putting age limits. I'm all about goals, but don't let it keep you from enjoying today.

Here is to another year. Let's live it to the fullest today.

What have you learned in the last ten years?
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Next week we have a guest blogger and you are just going to love her story. The following week we'll talk about when to tell your child about Santa and when to allow them do other "grown-up" things. Thanks for taking this journey together.
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Trying To Grow Older Gracefully - Part II

Continuing on from the last post, it is difficult to accept that we are aging, but, wow, there are just some things I just wouldn't want to go back and relearn. Here is the rest of the article I had written back in 2007.

Looking ahead I do have a list, but looking back I have realized I have “come a long way, baby.” I am thankful for all those years behind me. There are some things I have learned through my thirties, and yet I wouldn’t go back and I don’t want to relearn them. That is when going forward seemed a viable and appealing option. I came up with a list of lessons I have learned.

What I Have Learned Through The Years:

• Value Friendships – It is easy to web ourselves into the cocoon of family and work. There is plenty to keep one busy, carting the kids to and fro to their extra curricular events, school programs, as well as running errands, working late, trying to find care for kids when working late, fitting in vacation time, trying to get alone time with husband, working on house projects, or just trying to catch up on laundry. Who has time for friends? Although one can be very busy with all that goes into raising a family and juggling work, one can get very lonely. We all need friends. Now maybe you see people on a regular basis or you do have casual friends, but I’m talking going deeper into your relationship. Sharing yourself and being faithful to others. Friends add a new perspective to what we are going through and often can relate to incidents in our lives. Over time I have learned I need good and intimate friends, and I have also learned they are not easy to come by. But if you find a person who is willing to reciprocate your friendship, do what ever is necessary to keep that friendship alive which might involve some creative solutions. Call your friend while dropping your kids off at school or use a head phone to talk to her while folding clothes. Send a quick e-mail to see how her day went, the meeting she led or how she is doing after her root canal. Meet at a café after the kids go to bed while your husband catches up on the latest sports game. Of course there are always those periods in our lives where you or your friend are unusually busy, maybe taking on a new project at work or an extra class, or maybe your child just signed up for baseball. So being understanding and available is essential, and the benefits of a faithful friend reaps many rewards. Go further in your relationships.

• More Confident – I am finally wearing high heel shoes. I’m on the tall side and I have taken great pains in not being any taller than I had to with the endless search for shoes with absolutely no heel. I was sure all my problems were due to my height or my big hair. My only wish was to have one inch taken off my legs and my hair to go straight. Even on my wedding day I flipped off my shoes under my dress so I wouldn’t be too much taller than everyone as I greeted them. I had it down with the leaning of one leg and shifting my body to appear shorter. In the last two years I now stand up tall and wear heels. My husband and I were invited to a black tie event and I bought some sparkling, black high-heeled shoes. This year I bought some brown boots with a good size heel that I clomp around in. I don’t know what my problem was, but even my husband, who is as tall as I am, just loves it when I wear heels. Maybe his confidence in himself has rubbed off a little on me. I also finally figured out how to style my big, wavy hair. I used to blow dry it straight and take an iron to smooth it out almost everyday even while my kids were young. But forget that. No more of that time waster. With a good cut, I have the wash and wear look. I can get ready faster in the morning with out worrying about not having the latest hairstyle. The best part about growing older is that my husband says he finds me sexier than when he first met me, more “womanly.” Reminds me of the Ponds advertisement … What people think of how I look matters less to me now. I have even realized that if I feel good about myself I can stand up more confidently.

• Changed Image of Success – I finally realize that having a career isn’t what brings me status or value. Sometimes we calculate success by what we own or the amount on our paycheck. I’ve had big dreams since high school of being a big time career woman with my own office and many people under my management. My career goals haven’t all come into fruition, and now that I am almost 40 and a career is a long way from my reach, my definition of success has changed. My career and paycheck does not calculate status or define my value, but communicating love and helping my children feel more confident today does give me fulfillment. My source of income comes in a little differently and working part time for somebody else wasn’t my plan, but it works perfectly with where I am today.

• Enjoy My Kids today and not wait until tomorrow. When my eldest child was born I anticipated every stage; when he would raise his head, sit up, stand crawl, walk or any other milestone. When the suggested month of this occurrence came and went, I would worry what was wrong with his growth. Thus, his first year was taken up in a tornado manner and it robbed me the pleasure and enjoyment of just him and his own process of development. I didn’t want to base someone else’s timeline on my second son and consciously decided I was going to do everything possible to enjoy the process and value everyday with him. My year was completely different with my second child. I so much enjoyed each accomplishment instead of just checking it off the list. Now that they are in school, I try not to compare where they are with others, but to encourage them to do their very best.

• Keep My Marriage Alive – My husband and I are approaching our tenth {twelfth}anniversary. In a day and age when divorce is prevalent, we have come to realize why so many struggle. We have experienced it first hand: it’sits hard work. Basically it is so difficult to communicate, to agree, to spend time together and thus, to keep our marriage alive. If we postpone taking care of our relationship until after the kids grow up, then we have neglected a very important objective: keeping our kids emotionally healthy. Just like a muscle in our body needs constant exercise or it will atrophy, so is a marriage without constant attention. Without giving our relationship top priority, anything can tear it apart. My husband and I realized that if we don’t spend time together from occasional date nights to just lingering after dinner to talk; or are in constant communication and continue intimacy we are not as strong together and we discover we are not united to handle life problems. We have fallen into periods of steady conflict with each other and consequently our kids argue more and are challenged at school. Our relationship is important and we are in effort of spending time together and committed to communicate while putting our marriage before our jobs and even our kids. We want to do everything possible to keep our marriage alive today and not wait for tomorrow and avoid just living on the memories of yesterday. Neither money, a new job, nor a big promotion is worth neglecting our relationship.

• Keep Focused on a Goal - So, every time I plan to go back to my career post, the years keep adding up and I keep getting older and farther away from my career goals. But honestly, my goals have changed. My new priority is my children and it may take a very long time to reach my career goal, and I’m slowly becoming okay with that. Living today to the fullest is a great reward, but if I lose sight of my goal, today is not as wonderful. Over time I have come to realize that if I don’t have a goal to work for in life, I become lethargic and unmotivated at doing my work or enjoying the here and now without the motivation of something I am working for in life.

• Forgive – The older I get the more I have reflected on how I have been wronged. If I don’t forgive, the longer I carry a heavy burden of anger or thoughts of revenge. Time does heal and forgiveness takes a burden off our shoulders and allows us to see outside of our anger. It is better to forgive and move on with life.

Over time I have come to realize that our age doesn’t determine who we are or where we should be in life. I have also resolved not to let age determine my place in life. Our age doesn’t stop us from doing what we love or keep us from getting better or more competitive. Okay, girls, Bonnie Raitt is 56, and yet she is still singing and winning Grammy’s. How about Chiva Rivera? She should be an inspiration to us all. After she played Maria in the West Side Story, she has been in Broadway shows ever since. Last winter she had her own Broadway show and she closed down the house every night. She sings and dances and looks fabulous. Her legs are shapelier than I could ever dream of having. Gals, she is 73 years old. No, I did not accidentally invert these numbers; she is really seventy three. She is a true inspiration. Age shouldn’t stop us from living and aspiring to our dreams.

What have you learned over the years that you are glad you don't have to go back and relearn?

Trying to Grow Old Gracefully

My List of Things to Do Before I Turn One Year Older!

1. Take care of my health - It is easy to forget yourself with two children. They come into this world with so many things to learn and many demands, and they grow so fast that time is not tangible. You can’t capture time, you can’t slow it down, it just disappears during those early years as a mother giving birth and raising two children. Through the midst of those wonderful years: changing diapers; making baby food; going to the park, swim class, soccer practice; taking them to preschool and then kindergarten; making sure the screen door is locked; the cupboards are stocked; and the laundry is done, it is easy to forget oneself. It was years since I had been to the dentist, but my kids go regularly. Somehow I run outside with no sun protection, but I made sure my kids have spf 45 smothered all over their bodies. When I stepped on the scales I discovered I had gained 11 pounds in one year. How did that happen? My mind was so focused on serving the family that I forgot to take care of myself. There was no time to wait. These phone calls to the doctors to set up appointments and my exercise schedule were necessary to my health.

2. Visit New York - Since 1991 I have wanted to go to New York. Living in San Diego was supposed to be temporary and I was going to be a big time career woman living in New York someday. But now over a decade has come and gone, and I still live on the west coast taking care of my kids and working part time. No career and no New York lifestyle. It was also so un-American to not have seen the city that dictates our fashion, produces talk shows and movies, a place where romance blooms, and theater abounds. Living here in America not having gone to New York was like living in France and never visiting Paris, or in England and never venturing to London. I was also sure I had the makeup to live there in the city and that New York life was just for me. I’ve wanted to find out. Maybe, just maybe, I will discover that living here is right where I need to be.

3. Get a Tattoo – Yes, you read that correctly. Get a Tattoo. Not a big one. I just envision a small one on my lower back. But if I am going to get one it MUST be in the next twelve months. Anybody who has a story to tell of the artwork on their body includes that they got it while they were young and maybe not thinking rationally. Maybe you know someone who marked up their body when they were older, but they don’t have much of a story to tell. Have you seen the printed anti-theft advertisement for a national bank with an elderly woman sitting peacefully in a chair in this room filled with colorful drawings and a young artist drawing a dragon on her arm? The ad is saying how odd that an older women is getting a tattoo. It must mean that someone stole her credit card and the bank can quickly identify irregular spending. Well, I might also be getting a call from my credit card company reporting that someone stole my card because the young person on the other end of the line can not comprehend a forty-year-old getting a tattoo. I think I will pay with cash.

4. Learn how to drive a stick shift – It is way past time that I learn. When I was sixteen, my father took me out in this little, blue car to teach me how to drive stick shift. “You feel it in your butt,” he kept saying indicating when to change gears. “You feel it in your butt.” I honestly couldn’t feel anything in my butt except the car’s engine shut off. He got so frustrated with me he never brought the subject up again. My girlfriends in college took me to a parking lot to teach me how to drive stick. I didn’t learn a thing. Later, a co-worker took me in front of where we work and tried to teach me. Nothing. My husband now owns a little, green stick-shift car that I can’t even back out of the driveway to save my life. It has become so impractical not to know how to drive a stick. I’ve had several opportunities to learn, but never caught on. My goodness, even sixteen year olds are driving stick shifts around why can’t I learn? I’m determined to try again.

5. Get my first pedicure – Yes, it’s true. I have never had a pedicure, and I certainly have needed one for a long time. I’ve prettied my toe nails myself for this long and have made due. I just thought it would be fun to have a pedicure, and it just seemed odd to me to wait and have a first pedicure when I was in my forties. It seems like something someone would do for the first time as a young adult. It was just last year that I colored my hair for the first time, and by the way, I love it. I’ve never had a wax job, and frankly I’m okay without it. I have no intentions of putting that one on my list.

6. Start back on my career – When I quit my job after the birth of my second child, I had every intention to go back to work full-time and pick up where I left off. I didn’t quite achieve my career goals before leaving and was very determined to do whatever I needed to accomplish them when I returned to the workforce. I left my job four years ago, and I picked up a part-time job a year later just to keep my foot in the career door (and help pay off some of our bills). But every time I plan for the date to launch my future career and start back on full-time employment, the date keeps getting pushed back, so I finally resolved I needed to make a plan before I was 40. The more I considered a career move the more I questioned how I would do it: Who will pick up my preschooler from class or my older son from school located across town? Who will do my grocery shopping and clean my house and make the dinners every week day? I know women out there who do it all, but I’m not so sure I’m ready. Time is ticking and I need to set some goals towards my career.

7. Get Published – if you are reading this article in a published venue, that means I can scratch this one off my list. I’ve been writing stories since I was a child, then I wrote a lot of articles for my job and then I just never got around to finishing any of the numerous stories I had already started much less took efforts to get published. It was about time that I finally complete an article and see if anyone was interested in reading it. I will be so relieved to finally cross this one off the list.

What is the urgency in checking these items off the list? What is the rush? We can moan that we have too many wrinkles for our age or that we don’t have as much money that we hoped for or we haven’t advanced in our careers as anticipated or that we can’t run the block as many times around as before, or we can look about us and be thankful for the lessons that we have learned over time, and we can take this opportunity to love and embrace the people around us. I choose to live life today and live victoriously. ~ Excerpt from an article I wrote in 2007.

Since I have written the above article, my friend took me to get a pedicure (and have never had one since - and I don't color my hair any more) and another friend took me to get a tattoo the day before my birthday. I was published in a paper (for one year) soon after and I still don't know how to drive a stick shift. And most of all, I don't feel the need to get back into the career I started even though I currently work full-time hours). Now I just want to write and be available for my kids.

What is on your list of (one or more) things to do before you grow one to five year(s) older or even before the end of your decade?