Tomorrow is my birthday. That means today is the last day as a 36-year-old.
I have to say as years go, 36 was pretty awesome.
I grew a lot this past year.
I tried new things, got way outside my comfort zone, and just generally enjoyed life more than I can ever remember.
Thirty-six really held no special meaning to me. And honestly, I kind of feel the same way about 37.
It seems like a fine age, but it doesn’t have the symbolic weight that turning 40 does, or even 35 for that matter.
I guess that’s kind of what I love about the way I’ve started to live my life, particularly over the past year.
Nothing in particular happened to give me a “wake-up call” to do something different. I can’t pinpoint why I started to worry less and embrace life more.
I just decided to do it. And the more I did it, the easier it got… and the more fun I had.
At dinner a few nights ago my husband asked me to list off the top five highlights of being 36. They were:
- Seeing my stepdaughter happy at college
- Starting my blog/Instagram account
- Going to Hawaii for our anniversary
- Going to New York in December to celebrate an early Christmas with my extended family
- Changing up my workout routine with ClassPass and getting back into distance running
A pretty solid list of wonderful things I got to experience over the past 365 days.
And they were exponentially more amazing because my outlook changed. I worried less, enjoyed more, and got more comfortable with being uncomfortable.
So like everyone else I have no idea what the next year will bring for me.
I hope it’s even more exciting opportunities to travel, and grow physically and mentally. But no matter what, I hope I continue to tap into my newfound attitude towards life that I cultivated over the past year.
The rewards have been beyond anything I could have imagined a year ago.
So cheers to enjoying the closing hours of 36 and my birthday tomorrow.
I’m grateful for the gifts this past year has given me and so excited to see what 37 will bring!
