Here’s to Me, On My Birthday!

It’s my birthday tomorrow, so you know what that means:  time to get reflective.  I’m sure you know the drill; this feeling seems to come around every decade or so, depending on what your personal “landmarks” are.  Like, “I’m 30 years old and why am I not a vice president at this bank?  Why don’t I own a house?”  Or, “I’m 35.  Where is my career going?  Why am I still single?” And then “Oh shit.  I’m 40.  How the f*!% did this happen?”

So here we go again.  🙂  I start to question everything:  my career, my marital status, my homeownership or lack thereof.  My social life, my interests, the books I’m reading (or not reading), the car I’m driving, my weight, and now something new:  my retirement account.  You know, I thought I had serious crises of confidence about my career, but nothing freaks me out more than thinking about my retirement account and how it is or is not growing.  That’s one of those things that will really keep you up at night.

What about my weight?  My face?  Is it time to start buying all of those nighttime creams and wrinkle removers and skin tighteners that people like Diane Keaton are trying to sell me?  Am I “worth it?”  And why is that doughnut I ate yesterday now permanently attached to my ass?  Gray hair?  Oh don’t even get me started!

And the market, and the politics!  Social Security?  Health care?  All those things that I don’t think about that I have to think about now that I’m in the U.S.  Like where’s the Health Unit?  Oh, right – I guess I have to find a primary care physician.  Where to begin?  And mortgages, appraisals, and interest rates.  Yikes!

So, I’m well on my way to a major freakout, when something suddenly occurs to me:  my life is pretty terrific.  I get to travel around the world doing something that I love doing.  I have a great family.  I have a roof over my head and food in the fridge.  I have wonderful friends and a sweet old cat.  I have my health.  I don’t have wrinkles and I have a fantastic stylist who covers the gray.  And I am really smart.

So, yeah:  I’m pretty awesome.   And for those of you who were wondering, I’ll be 41 tomorrow and I look incredible.  ;-P