A Very Happy Birthday

Image via BHLDN. 

Last night I celebrated my birthday with two of my dearest loves, my husband and daughter. When I arrived home from work and opened the door, my two-year old ran to me and said, "Happy Birthday Momma. I love you." It was the best birthday gift I've ever received and to say I was overwhelmed with pure joy would be an understatment. Birthdays are a funny thing. In my twenties, my girlfriends and I LOVED birthdays. They were an excuse to get a fabulous new dress and invite all of our friends (and many more casual aquaintances) to whatever the of-the-moment L.A. bar was to drink and dance the night away. Whenever I drive the streets of L.A., Sunset to Beverly Blvd., Las Palmas to Wilshire, I'm reminded of the great celebrations we had as we inched closer to 30.

Since then, I've started to see birthdays differently. Now, they are a reminder of my failure to outsmart Father Time. A signal that like every other woman on this planet, I am getting older and things are starting to change. I have to work out twice as hard as I did ten years ago to see the same results, I need twice the sleep, I can only handle a third of the drinks my twenty-something self could take down on any given evening and I've definitely got twice the wrinkles. How did I get here?

  Just as I was having a "poor me, I'm getting older" moment, I learned of Nora Ephron's passing. The When Harry Met Sally writer/Julie and Julia director Tuesday morning at the young age of 71. After reading several tributes and literary obits, including her hilarious observations on aging, I started to think about my birthday in a new way. Not as a stamp in my passport on the journey to old age, but as a wonderful gift. A gift of another year of precious life. I realized that each year I get to spend here on Earth with my loved ones is something to rejoice about, not dread. If I want to live to see another day, I'll have to accept the fact I WILL continue to get older, my wrinkles will get worse, and I'll continue to do battle with gravity during my workouts. It's supposed to be a happy birthday, right?! So today, I'm celebrating the fact I'm one year older and hoping I get the privilege to celebrate again in 364 days. Hope you are having a great week!