Beating the birthday blues

It’s my birthday week. This year, I’m going to beat the birthday blues. First reason: I just gained an extra year of life. For most of this year, I’ve been preparing myself to turn 53 on October 27. But a couple days ago during a friendly debate with my husband, I learned that I am turning 52 this year. I’m stoked! What a great gift!

I just won back a year of my life. I may be losing my memory and my mathematical ability, but at least I’m only 52. It’s a birthday miracle. Second reason: this is usually the week when I get nostalgic and write a blog about

1. Getting older and wiser. Blah, blah, blah.
2. How much I miss my mom (it’s her birthday week, too).
3. How much I miss my dad (it’s his birthday week, too)—even though I didn’t really know him.
4. Why I deserve cake.

I am not writing any of those this year. They make me feel bluesy. The first option feels unnecessary because I just gained another year of life via my forgetfulness/bad mathematician skills. The second and third options make me want to cry, and I haven’t cried for a while, so I kind of like the streak I’ve got going. It would be a shame to ruin it unless it’s absolutely necessary. We’ll see what happens in a few days. The last option is obvious. We all deserve cake, especially on our birthdays. No need to feel guilty about that. I will admit that I feel Grief coming on—she’s lain idle for a while, and she knows that she can hit me hard this week, so I’ve been contemplating my best defense against the sadness that is sure to come this weekend. I think I’ve found a solution—ironically, it came through my own words. I’ve been doing last-edits for my book on prayer, Soulspeak, which is set for release in fall of 2019. And I found a good reminder in the 2 chapters on learning to pray with thanksgiving: “Being thankful involves a process of emptying and refilling. Thankfulness is wakefulness to reality. It is an exchange of values –a natural outpouring of the attitudes of your soul.… Without being thankful, we just aren’t capable of seeing our lives accurately.” (Soulspeak: praying change into unexpected places) So, in determination to see my life accurately, my blessings are as follows:

1. I have lived and am living a blessed life
2. I had a mother who poured into me and loved me
3. I had a spiritual upbringing, with many spiritual mentors and examples
4. I am alive and healthy

And I am 52 for another year. Happy birthday to me. May I expect nothing, be pleasantly surprised by everything, and thoroughly enjoy my family. And my cake. “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever.” –Psalm 118:1