Birthday Blessings

 Birthdays are tricky. They can be awesome or lousy. Some people want to ignore birthdays, but not me. I feel you have to share Christmas with everyone, but your birthday, well, it's your day. I have had birthdays where I waited for someone else to make them special. I hoped they could read my mind and would give me the perfect gift, take me to the restaurant I always wanted to try, and all my family and friends would make a fuss over me. Yeah, not so much...So, I figured out, the hard way, that in order for me to have the kind of birthday I really want, I had to create the kind of birthday I really want. And this year, I did just that!
I wanted to run a half marathon on my birthday and went all the way (650 miles) to Provo, UT to do it! This guy, although not a planner, is game to do just about anything that will make me happy! He says he is my driver, my bodyguard and my biggest fan! OK, so I plan and he helps me execute those plans. It works!

I even had a shirt made that said it was my birthday! I counted 16 people along the course of the race who, as they ran by me, wished me a Happy Birthday! Again, to some, this would be silly, but I loved it! I got quite a few, "You go, girl!" and "Wow, that's an accomplishment!"

 The race published a magazine that was in each runners goodie bag. Out of 4000 runners, they published four stories and one of them was mine!!! Again, to many, this would not be anything they would want or enjoy, but it made this BIG birthday even more special. I got to mention the people who helped me with my running (Carol in TX and my son-in-law) and how much I appreciate their support. Seeing it in printed form let me thank them in a special way. When you are trying new things in life, it is always helpful to have people around you who support you (Carol), push you (Sean) and believe in you (both of them). I can't thank them enough.

People often say, "You look good for your age!" "You don't look 60!" Well, guess what?!?! This IS what 60 looks like ~ a sweaty, hot mess that just ran 13.1 miles in her fastest time ever. The point is, be your best (fill in age here) you can be. Don't wait for someone else to plan your birthday, plan your life or define your happiness. More often than not, it will come up short and be disappointing. If you plan it yourself, if you own it yourself, you have only yourself to blame or praise. I like that!!