Forty

I woke up this morning to an achy elbow and a weird little crick in my shoulder. I sat up to face the new day but had to put on my bifocals first. As I blinked myself awake and took all of this in, I sighed and said, "Yep. I'm 40."  I like birthdays, especially my own. I know it's not cool to want to celebrate your own existence but I never said I was cool. Birthdays serve as a testament to life lived, to the fact that we all continue through good and bad, to the fact that we are all here on this planet together bumping along and doing our best. This past year has not been an easy one for me, so, getting through it definitely justifies celebration. There are some things I would change about my life but I am always keenly aware of my blessings. I have an amazing partner who respects me, indulges me, loves me and seems to still like me after all these years. I have two crazy kids who greeted me this morning with homemade cards and hugs. I have an incredible sister who has always looked after me, from brushing out my ratty hair when I was five to planning a surprise party for me today (even though she is hundreds of miles away). I have an amazing community of friends, my chosen family, who love me even though I can be a snarky pain in the ass. These same friends helped surprise me today and took the time to come downtown to hang out with me and my co-workers. My co-workers are pretty darn awesome in their own right. All of this and The Facebook Team wished me a happy birthday on my Facebook page. Really, I am so very lucky.

My friends' daughter, Luca, sent me a birthday card today. On the front, she wrote, "Happy and Smart Vikki". I'm sure about the "happy" part and, if I am truly "smart", I'll remember that all year long.