Another Birthday

 My birthday wasn’t the most exciting this year, but I felt the love, and really what more is there?

I could have felt sorry for myself, because I had a nice plan in the works that first came to be about 6 weeks ago or so, before Omicron hijacked us. We had invited all our kids and grandkids to come over and spend time hanging out. Just thinking about that was a dream come true.  

But then the pandemic got crazy again, and to bring us all together didn’t make sense for a variety of reasons – from our daughter traveling via airplane with her unvaccinated, unmasked 18-month-old to COVID exposure in daycare/school for a handful of the others – so David and I decided it best to put the festivities on hold.

On my birthday, I got to FaceTime with all our loved ones, which bridged the gap between missing those who are far away and who we haven’t seen in a long time (as well as those who live close by), which enabled me to get that sense that we were together, even though we weren’t.  

I started to feel so grateful that I have such wonderful people in my life who shared their time with me on my special day – including all the friends and family who called, texted or emailed – so it would be absolutely ridiculous for me to allow myself to think Woe is Me, simply because an in-person gathering I was looking forward to didn’t pan out.

It is unfortunately so easy these days to get immersed in that dark Life Sucks mindset, especially when it seems doing anything celebratory or “normal” is off the table.

Being frustrated or upset and feeling negative might seem like the more realistic state of being at times, but I really don’t want to live like that. I’ve realized that staying positive is all about where I actively direct my mind to go. This choice to feel good or bad is mine to make.

Hopefully soon we can all get back to doing what we like, spend time with people we love, and make plans that stick.

Until then...