Happy Birthday to Me!

As my eyes slowly opened this morning, I realized it was my birthday. Today, I turn 35.

I began to do an inventory of my surroundings and this body I've lived in for 35 years.

• I was awake at 6:15am.

• The Nyquil I took for my head cold last night had worn off, and my sinuses were blocked.

• I rubbed the stretch marks above my belly button where a notch had formed.

• Moving my legs, I could feel a bit of a creek in my left knee.

• As I stretched my fingers, I could see the burn scar on my left ring finger.

• Yawning, I could feel the creases in my face, as I determined how I would start my day.

And then I remembered...

• I was awake at 6:15am, because my two, beautiful boys came in to greet me with "Happy Birthday!"s and the one-hundred kisses they remembered I had asked for.

• The head cold was likely caught at the school where I am blessed to have started a new chapter of my profession this year. 

• The stretch marks above my belly button are a souvenir of my healthy, nine-pound Jonah, ten-pound Andrew, and all the ways I've now learned to care more about how I feel over how I look.

• The creek in my knee is a reminder of many years playing sports and one dumb but hilarious softball incident.

• The burn on my finger came from a Saturday of Belgian waffle-making with my boys--one of many that I've earned cooking and baking with them.

• Each crease on my face is a visible sign of the laughs and tears I've shared with family and friends, as I've learned to face the hard things, find humor in life, and trust in God.

At thirty-five, I am aware of so much more in life, and I'm continuing to practice what I know. I know better than to worry about my future, so I try to live in the moment as often as I can. I know who I am and what I need in my life, so I try to be mindful when I'm not asserting my boundaries. I know what is important and what no longer serves me, and so I do my best to narrow my focus on faith, family, friends, and good food!

Today I am grateful for the gifts of imperfections that have led me to this day and lessons that have taught me that life is completely about perspective. I have the ability to decide how to interpret the aches and challenges that surround me on a daily basis. So while I can't predict what's ahead or control how it turns out, I've realized that I do control how I will respond to it all. 

Here's to another 35 years of small moments, hard-earned lessons, and giving myself and others a whole lot of grace,

Kristy