Today is my birthday. I’m thinking about what to write (yes, now, at 9:40 pm). I was going to talk about what I got for my birthday, but, I also kind of want to write about what I want before my next birthday.
I turned 39 today. I’m not a person who cares about getting older, really. But, I do keenly notice the passage of time lately. I notice funny things like celebrities that are close to my age getting older and I notice that professional athletes are sometimes young enough to technically be my child. And that’s a little funny. American Idol kills me because some of the contestants are basically still children and they blush and they are awkward and to me it’s such a sweet thing to see. But it’s not just the young uns (help me Southerners, I know that’s not how you spell it!) that I notice. There are older women who fascinate me. Hillary Clinton is 66. That’s 27 years older than me. I think about the work she has accomplished in those 27 years and wonder what I can do with the next 27 years of my life. Women have had the right to vote for less than a century in this country. When Hillary Clinton’s mother was born, women weren’t allowed to vote, but Hillary has been the Secretary of State and run for President and probably will again. And I’m not making a political statement. I don’t know much about politics and I don’t know that I would vote for Hillary. My point is that we always think about how quickly life passes by, but it’s also very long! So much has happened in my first 39 years, but there is so much more I can do in the next 39. I’m not saying I want to be Secretary of State before my next birthday, but I want to work hard to achieve goals that don’t always seem very attainable.
On my birthday, I also think a lot about my mom and what this day must have been like for her 39 years ago. I was the culmination of a 7 year battle to have a baby. And this was in a time just before there was IVF and the direction my parents were given to help enhance their chances of having a baby involved things like wearing looser undergarments. Not a lot of hope to hang your hat on. My mother didn’t need hope, though, because she had Faith (Hope’s pious sister). She has taught me, and I believe, that we are each a small miracle. Before my next birthday, I want to be a little closer to being as a great a mom as my mother is.
Ok, enough sappy stuff. Let’s talk about the presents! From my darling husband, I got……..
Oh, Yay! A new camera, baby! This little guy is the Nikon D3200. You may have noticed that I don’t really know anything about cameras or photography, but this is the one Young House Love uses and I somehow magically found this one on Groupon marked down to $379.00! It’s usually in the $499 range. I’m so excited to get it and try it and photograph everything!
I also got a gift certificate to H&M and some cash money, so I will probably be shopping my little heart out this weekend. I’ve already decided where the first $10 of my gift certificate is going:
$10 H&M? You are truly my favorite.
