Birthmas

Sometimes my creative juices flow like the Niagara River cascading over Horseshoe Falls. And sometimes they trickle like a creek in Death Valley. If Death Valley was on the sun. 

My blogging abilities have been at a "sunny Death Valley" level lately. Maybe it's because this is the busiest time of the year, and all I've had on my mind is planning for the holidays and buying Christmas presents and baking Christmas cookies and attending Christmas-related events and...thinking about my birthday.

Yep, my birthday falls right in with the Christmas season. Actually, right on Christmas to be exact. December 25th is my birthmas. I love my birthday. I always have. Maybe I make a bigger deal out of my birthday because it's *slightly* overshadowed by a major holiday. But regardless, I do love my birthday. And I don't know, it's not because of presents or milestones or anything...it's really just 'cause, hey, it's a day that celebrates my life (and I don't mean that in a selfish way at all!), and why not enjoy a day like that? 

**Sidenote: Does anyone else think that really it should be MOMS that we celebrate on our birthdays? They are the ones who gave us life and all. Aren't they the ones who carried us on the inside for 9 months and then carried us on the outside for 3 years and then still carry us figuratively and emotionally for the rest of their lives? Yeah, here's to you, Mom. Thanks for birthing me and being the best mom ever. :)

So, this year's birthday is kind of a big one for me. Or so 'they' say. In just 5 short days, I'm going to be the big 3-0. Whaaat?! Well, put me in a toga and call me Caesar, when did that happen?! Sometimes I wonder where the years go. They just fly by. One day you're 13, and you shut yourself in a closet, chanting that you wish you were older, and the next day you are 30 and the hot-shot editor of a fashion magazine. Wait...no...that was a movie... 

Anyway, you get the idea. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. So, here I am on the cusp of entering a new decade of my life. And you know what? 

I'm ok with that. 

It seems that many people dread turning 30. Women the world over refer to their 30th birthday as their second 29th birthday. But aren't ages just numbers? They don't dictate who we are or what we are going to do. They can't tell us we are old or worn out or useless. The higher the number doesn't mean the lower the ability we have to accomplish something. Sure, there's a natural progression and deterioration of our physical bodies--I'm clearly not suggesting that every 80 year old should still be able to climb Mt. Everest (I can't even climb Mt. Everest) or that arthritis won't set in our knuckles or our hearing won't start to fade--but numbers that indicate how long we've dwelt on the earth should have little effect on how we feel. 

A friend asked me the other day if I'm ready to turn 30. I thought back on the past 10 years of my life, and I realized I regret nothing. Besides the lofty idea of wishing I'd traveled overseas a little bit more during my college years, I really didn't miss out on anything. My 20's were great, they really were, but I'm leaving them behind now. Can't get 'em back, so why dwell on that fact? Maybe bigger and better things are in store for me in this next decade. Maybe my 30's is when I'll get a little more travel in. Chances are my 30's will also bring motherhood with it (hopefully!), and then I'll be able to teach my own children not to stress about ages and numbers, and how they can feel young if they think young. And how--because God richly blesses us--life is beautiful in some way, each and every day, so enjoy moments and people and don't freak out about things you have no control over (like getting older).

Satchel Paige once said, "Age is question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." I tend to agree with him. So, this Christmas, I'm gonna embrace the moment my life number switches from 29 to 30, and I'm not gonna mind. I'm not even going to feel the need to act all 30ish or anything. Ew, no. That's all part of this "not feeling old" bit. For example, I'm planning on wearing a tutu on my birthday. Why? Because I can. And maybe I'll dance and twirl and laugh and blow out all the candles on my birthday cake in one breath. Because 30 is just a number. 

Have a blessed, happy, and young-feeling Christmas, everyone! 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing." ~George Bernard Shaw