Yes, it's true...I'm 41 today. Now normally, I don't go around making grand birthday announcements and wishing myself a great day. But I have to share a couple of things that have happened recently that have made me appreciate the value of recognizing milestones in our lives.
March is our big birthday month around here -- we're all in March (except for my husband) -- and in our kitchen is a big white board on which we keep the family calendar. Yesterday was the first of the month, so as I filled in the calendar, I made a special note on each kid's birthday with a big announcement of the age they're turning. I left the date of my own birthday blank.
When my daughter walked by, she glanced at the calendar and said, "Yay, I'm turning 13!" But then she looked again and said, "Aren't you proud of turning 41, Mom?"
Hmmm...how to answer that one?
"Of course," I told her, quickly writing in "Mom is 41!!" on today's block. See, I realized that with that simple scrawl on the calendar's block -- or by leaving it blank -- I'm sending my kids a message about aging. Growing up, I can remember my mother telling me wistfully about something she'd always wanted to do. "So why don't you do it?" I asked her. "No," she replied. "It's too late."
She was younger than I am now.
The older I get, the more I realize that every year of life is something to be celebrated. And good health is something never to be taken for granted; that point was driven home to me this week when an acquaintance disclosed that she's undergoing a double mastectomy tomorrow after being diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. She's 38 years old.
I'm grateful to my daughter -- and to all the other people in my life -- who remind me to celebrate what is, right now in this moment, without worrying about the past or what will happen tomorrow.
Happy birthday to me, indeed.
What a great role model you are for your daughter, Dara! Yes, be proud of your age, and you're so right to celebrate EVERY year of your life, no matter what your age.
And to readers: do it NOW, not when you have the perfect body, the perfect hair, or the perfect "life." Life in itself should be celebrated, and any age or any pant size!!
Posted by: Dinneen-Eat Without Guilt | 03/02/2009 at 06:13 AM
Happy Birthday to you indeed! and the element appreciation for life is shared by me. Forty one years has given you so much and I hope that in JUne when it's my turn to turn 41...I marvel at what IS and not what ISN't. Starfish!?! Anna.
Posted by: Anna Morales | 03/02/2009 at 07:22 AM
Lovely Dara it made me think about how freaked out I am about feeling ancient- by other people's standards.
Rachel
Posted by: Rachel W. | 03/02/2009 at 07:54 AM
Happy Birthday Dara! Celebrate boldly!
Every day counts. Tomorrow is just not a sure thing.
Have a piece of cake, blow a party horn, jump up and down!!
Posted by: Lance | 03/02/2009 at 12:57 PM
Happy Birthday!
My mum has always been really upfront about how old she is- mostly, I think, because she likes the shocked looks that people give her because they think she's about 10 years younger. So birthdays are something to celebrate- I like to think of them as way to mark how far we've come and everything that we've accomplished in that period of time :)
Posted by: Sagan | 03/02/2009 at 06:32 PM
You'd be so pretty if ... you were 41! You've got a great outlook and I can identify particularly with:
"No," she replied. "It's too late."
It seems like nowadays it feels more "acceptable" to start anything at any age. True, this generation didn't invent it (after all, Colonel Sanders started franchising KFC when he was 65) but it feels more like the norm than an exception.
I'm hoping it's a plan that works. At 43 myself, I've still got a lot of books to write.
Happy Birthday!
Posted by: Charlie Hills | 03/03/2009 at 06:21 AM
I saw that you/your book were extensively quoted in the health section of the Washington Post this morning. Congratulations and the tips were great!
Posted by: allison | 03/03/2009 at 06:59 AM
Happy birthday!!!!
It just keeps getting better, doesn't it?
Posted by: Alyssa | 03/03/2009 at 09:08 AM
Thanks for the good wishes, everyone! I really appreciate all the kind words.
Thanks for the nice words about the Washington Post piece, too, Allison!
Posted by: Dara Chadwick | 03/04/2009 at 06:22 AM