Getting Older

This past Friday I celebrated my 28th birthday.  I took the day off from work and went shopping with my mother-in-law.  On Saturday Landon and I went out for lunch.  It was a nice little low key weekend and I loved that it was 3 days! 

Last year was my golden birthday and my mom and I flew to Seattle for a 3 day weekend.  My Fitbit has never seen so many steps as that trip and I have never had so many Starbucks in that short of time either.

Side note – you might be wondering why I don’t seem to celebrate my birthday with my husband.  Well, you see he is a teacher so time off is a little hard to come by if it’s not summer.  He also is a big bow hunter and unfortunately my birthday is right around the rut every season.  It’s okay though, he took me shopping the weekend before for my “Special Lady Day.”  And yes, he stole the name from The League but he assures me we are not like Ruxton and his wife. ?

Now that I am officially in my “late” twenties, I’ve come to realize a few things.  People get very sensitive as they age.  I’ve known this my whole life and I assumed I would follow suit.  But the more life that happens to me, the more I think people have it wrong.  NEVER be ashamed of your age.  NEVER think you are too old.

Let me put this in perspective.  Think about all the people in this world who leave too soon.  I am proud to be 28 because I know many people who never got to be this “old.”  And when I turn 50, I will be proud to have lived long enough to be that “old.”  Getting old is a privilege denied by many so we should be glad we get to have another birthday.

Another thing I’ve noticed lately is how long people think life is.  So many of us say “life is short” and I do agree to a point.  But if you think life is so short, you miss opportunities.  How can you stop to smell the roses, if you always feel rushed?

I grew up in a major metropolitan area and always thought that was the life I wanted.  Now being an hour away from a mediocre-at-best mall, I find life is slower.  The good kind of slower.  It’s hard to explain if you’ve never experienced either but in my two years here, I’ve learned to breathe and slow down.  I think this is so important for self care.  It also makes me feel life is long.  Don’t get me wrong, the days, weeks, and months fly by.  But our weekends at home are slow.  We have time for responsibilities, time for leisure, and time to plan and daydream.

I mentioned in my resolutions post a few months ago that I like to make resolutions on my birthday instead of the first of the year.  I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want my 28th year to be and this year has been the hardest.  Earlier this year I had an idea to help local women but haven’t known where to start.  I’d like to pursue that idea and make a plan of action.  For now, I’ll leave it as that but I hope in the coming year I will be ready to share it on here!

Now, go be proud of getting older and find ways to make your own life long.