I'm turning 40.
Meh.
Remember the days when birthdays were exciting? Ten brought with it the elation of double-digits. Thirteen meant we finally crossed the line from child to teenager. Then came Sweet 16, shortly followed by adulthood two years later.
But it all kinda goes downhill after twenty-one, doesn't it?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those ladies that's afraid of getting old. Even with the looming presence of eye circles and those hairline wrinkles starting to emerge, I still feel cute as ever. A little tired, maybe, -- lord knows I groan a lot more than I used to when I get up -- but overall, I've chosen to grow old gracefully. I have way too much to be thankful for to look a gift horse like my age in the mouth.
That being said, turning 40 shouldn't feel like such a sudden uphill battle, but given the current state of the world, I'm feeling those years plus a few I hadn't anticipated. Maybe it's because I'm celebrating a milestone year in the midst of a worldwide dumpster fire.
At this very moment, I should be preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Greece that my amazing husband saved up for the last two years, not scouring the stores for toilet paper. I'm on week two of a district-wide lock-down and I'm about ready to start yanking out my hair out.
I love my family. I love my family. I love my family.
I know y'all feel me. I'm not alone in this mess. It's happening everywhere -- some places WAY worse than here. We're all in this together and something about that knowledge lessens the burden.
We all get old.
We all miss out on opportunities.
We all can't find toilet paper. (Or milk, or bread, chicken, handwash ...)
The important thing is, I'm healthy. So are my kids & my husband (hopefully all of you, too!) and we're riding this out together. I may have a few more wrinkles and a few less supplies, but in the end, everything I need is right here, hunkering down between these four walls. And that is something worth celebrating.