Birthdays are a big deal for me as I recognize other people’s birthdays as a chance to remember them and to show them I care and I recognize my birthday as an opportunity to reflect back on my life and to make plans for the coming year. It also makes me feel really good when people reach out and let me know they’re thinking of me.
Reflection
As I look back on the 43 years I’ve spent on this earth, I’m happy with who I am and the lessons I’ve learned. I was fortunate enough to find someone I love to share my life with and even though life isn’t perfect and we don’t always get along, we do love each other and genuinely want what is best for each other. At first glance, hubby’s gift to me this year was mundane and practical: he got me a headset for my phone. However, I know him well enough to know that he got it because he doesn’t want me to kill myself because of my bad habit of talking on my phone while driving. He’s realized he can’t stop me from driving and talking, but at least he can make me safer (and legal).
I’ve been blessed with two amazing children who are focused on their future and who want to become contributing members of society. My kids are smart and realize that education is the way to get ahead and they both are working hard at their studies. They’re also both really good people who help those around them. I’m also fortunate that I can afford to give them some of the benefits in life that other kids don’t get. We were able to send Sean to Georgetown University for summer school two years ago and we’re sending Cat to Washington, DC next week for a journalism conference. We can’t afford to give them everything they want, but it is nice to be able to afford some of the extras.
My life has also been blessed with some loving critters who have shared their love with me unconditionally. By now everyone who reads my blog knows about Luke, my beautiful Aussie / Collie Mix, but before Luke there were other dogs who brought me joy. Spotty was my first dog and this tiny fluff ball shared our lives until I was seven. Rags was a purse dog who brought much love into our lives as my mom brought her to school when she volunteered. Muttzy (whose photo is to the right) was a beautiful Collie mix. What I remember about Muttzy was her tremendous spirit. She was diagnosed with cancer and we took her to the University of Illinois for treatment. We had to leave her for a week and when we came back to get her, she was so happy that she barked with joy most of the trip home. Sadly she succumbed to cancer a few weeks later, but I will always remember her joy at being reunited with her family. We adopted Blake on Okinawa and brought him home to the states. He was John’s dog, but he loved us all. He was loving, patient and kind. We got Blake on Sean’s second birthday and Sean wasn’t quite sure what to make of this new creature. He’d been popping balloons with a fork and when he tried popping Blake with the fork, that sweet dog just got up and walked away. Sammy was our last dog before Luke and she was my smart, loving, little girl. She was truly devoted and everywhere that mom was, she had to go too. Sadly she died too soon of seizures and broke my heart.
My parents raised me to have a work ethic, to understand that a job well done is its own reward, and to have ethics in my dealings with other people. They also raised me to honor other people, to be honest, and to help people when I could. Those are lessons that are so ingrained in me that they have become second nature.
I have been truly blessed to have been able to travel the world and to visit some of the most amazing places on earth. I’ve been to ancient temples in China, visited the Tower of London, cruised the canals of Amsterdam, and spent time getting to know Bremen Germany. I also lived in Japan for three years. My experiences outside of the United States have helped me to become a better American as I’ve realized that not everyone sees the world the same way that we do and that understanding other people’s points of view can help you find common ground.
Throughout my life I have met some incredible people who have helped me learn and grow and become a better person. I’ve been fortunate enough to have truly good leaders who exemplified leadership and truly horrible leaders who helped me learn what not to do. I’ve also met people I consider true friends and who have become a part of my tribe. These are people who support each other an are there for each other through thick and thin.
My writing has never made much money, but it has brought joy into my life and has let me fulfill my passion for playing with words. Even without money, that is its own reward and I am fortunate that I’ve met people along the way who have supported my writing and encouraged me to share my view of the world with others.
Plans for the Next Year
My life isn’t perfect right now, but it is pretty good and I’m realizing that my attitude helps drive a lot of what I want/get in life. My primary goals for the coming year are:
Spend more meaningful time with my family–We spend a lot of time hanging out, but we don’t always connect as much as I would like.
Establish a habit of exercising four days a week–I need to lose weight, but every time I have established a goal of losing weight, I’ve failed. I’m going to spend this year concentrating on healthy habits.
Drink two bottles of water a day–I need to replace the soda with water.
Launch KudosPower.com–I want to establish a hub on the net to share knowledge with people to help individuals empower themselves.
Publish The Paperback Coach–I’m revamping the Portable Coach by taking it back to its original name and by updating it with knowledge I’ve gained over the past decade.
Publish Pink Slip 101–A proof copy of Pink Slip 101 is currently on its way to me and hopefully this one will be pretty easy to accomplish.
Publish The Pragmatic Project Manager—I have learned so much about what makes a good PM and what makes a bad PM that I want to share that knowledge with the world.
Publish Process Your Life–There are so many business tools that can be applied to personal life. I want to help people find these tools and utilize them to make their world better.
Write Finding My Bliss–I still haven’t figured out what form this story is going to take, whether it is going to be a novel, a screenplay, or just a collection of thoughts.
Get caught up on the bills–We are behind right now and we need to get caught up. I am seriously hoping we can start making money from writing, but if that doesn’t happen, I need to figure out how to spend less.
Good Thoughts
So many people reached out to me out of the blue with good thoughts on my birthday that I wanted to take a minute to say thanks and let them all know that they matter to me.
Mom–Thanks for giving me life and for calling to wish me a happy birthday.
John–Thanks for the beautiful card, the charger, and for being there for me for over 20 years.
Sean–Texts make good birthday greetings too 🙂
Cat–Thanks for standing outside and singing to me first thing in the morning.
Tony–Thanks for the call. I love you and you’re a great brother.
Jeff–Thanks for calling me on Thursday and getting my birthday started off right.
Bill–I’m not an “old girl,” but thanks for the birthday wishes.
Steve–Thanks..your greeting was unexpected and really sweet.
Vicki–I love you. Thanks for being my big sis.
Joyce–Facebook walls are great for keeping in touch. Thanks for being m big sis.
Love you all and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Cairn by Cairn 