Birthday reflections.

I wasn't going to turn my computer back on today and enter the online world, but at the end of another birthday, I feel the need to say a few things.

Rather than railing against growing older, I embrace my birthdays with exhilaration   How wonderful that I am still around to share and celebrate another year!  As I do grow older I  hear stories of people who do not have that opportunity.

In the digital age, it's great to hear from a variety of people.  Greetings are public, private, personal, heartfelt, auto-generated, funny, surprising, touching, bland.  Whatever they are, someone has made the effort to think of me and reach out across the bandwidth, just for a moment.  I like it!

Today I received a birthday card from one of my Twitter followers.  We were working together yesterday and she recognised me.  Somewhere along the line, I mentioned that today was my birthday and today she presented me with a funny, handmade card.  I was delighted.  What a great thing!  Why not be the kind of person who gives or sends a birthday card to people they have met? It spreads goodwill and good feeling and that's a good thing.

This wasn't a birthday ending in zero so I didn't have a big shindig.  I'd been surrounding myself with friends who had been wrapping me in love, so I didn't do anything spectacular.  I slept in this morning; had a conversation with a prospective client and went off to lunch with a friend.  We happened to be working in the same neighbourhood and she took time out of her day to meet me.  We enjoyed sitting outside in the warmer weather.  I worked for the afternoon and then had dinner with a close friend this evening.  In between I read emails, facebook posts, text messages and took calls from friends and family.  I arrived home and listened to the messages on my answering machine - one from my four year old nephew, exuberantly shouting "Happy birthday Aunty Tanya" .  His message started with the cue from my sister whispering "go, now".

I wore a new dress today.  Rich emerald green.

I examined my face intently.  To me I look the same - except for those annoying grey hairs that I'm sure the hairdresser sprinkles in after each visit - but I know that I do not.  I don't have worry lines or frown lines.  You can see that I laugh.

I feel serene.
I feel happy.
I feel like my hard work is paying off.
I feel intensely interested in my work.
I feel valued.

I feel loved. The most important feeling of all.

Thank you everyone.  I actually feel like this most days.  It's wonderful.