40

Today is my 40th birthday! True to birthdays when I was younger, it's really been a birthweek. I was blessed to celebrate this special occasion surrounded by many loved ones.

I have been excited about this birthday ever since I turned 39. A good number of years ago I decided that I always wanted to be proud to tell people my age. As a result, my outlook on age changed instantly. This outlook goes beyond the cliche that "age is just a number." It's a number that represents so many things: choices, events, attitudes, successes, failures, likes, dislikes, thrills, embarassments. And back then I resolved to share with others the pretty and the ugly, to live in such a way that I'm not ashamed of my choices. Easy enough to do when it's something pleasant--a win, a success, an achievement. Tougher when it comes to stumbles and screw-ups. But what's the alternative--pretend they never happened? Too late. Rather, I find that honoring those less-than-graceful moments, looking upon them not with judgment, but with humanity and humility, serves me better.

Thanks to the encouragement from a dear friend of mine, Kelly, as I celebrate the onset of my 40s, I also am honoring and paying tribute to my 30s. In my excitement at looking toward the future, I can't forget that I'm leaving a decade that has been nothing short of magical. My 30s saw many momentous events. I got my first "real" job, and by that I mean a job that wasn't tied to graduate school in some way. I got serious about cycling. I stopped living someone else's dreams and began pursuing my own by moving to Colorado, my "soulplace." In Colorado, I found my perfect-fit profession and inherited amazing colleagues and friends in the process. I became an aunt and instantly fell in love with my nephew. And, of course, I met Steve.

My 30s also saw the birth of my triathlon "hobby." To help me with my athletic goals, one of Steve's gifts to me was what I'm calling my "chill the @#%! out bike"--a totally girly cruiser bike that that doesn't allow lycra or those clippety-clop bike shoes. Nope, this bike is a trip back in time and will bring me full circle to the days of my first ride with the streamers and basket. And don't forget the bell.

Now comes the tough decision: which color scheme??