A Year of Celebration and Learning

Today is the day that I have thought about every day for the past year.   I began a journey over a year ago which led me to wake up this morning with little anxiety and a ton of gratitude.  In the course of the past year, I have worked hard to live a life that is full of heart and love, laughter and tears, learning and napping, running and standing still, watching and reading, most of it exhilarating and some of it difficult and painful.  Life is complicated – I know I am not the first or only one to realize this. 

The most precious gifts I have learned over the past year are as follows:

• Be real, truthful, kind and aware in every experience. 
• Be with those who love you and want the best for you.
• Work hard.
• Ask for help.
• Have confidence in yourself.
• When you are sad, tell someone.
• When you are mad, meditate, play music or do something that allows you to think clearly.
• Laugh out loud.
• Care for another.
• Donate time and money.
• Take vacation.
• When you are sick, stay home.
• Admire those that deserve it.
• Use your words to heal and help.
• Believe in doing the right thing and doing better.

There are many more lessons to learn and I am excited for what this next year brings.  I am blessed.  I love and I am loved and I am grateful for all the gifts that are my life.

Happy Birthday to me!