In my family of 5 there are 3 March birthdays.
On March 3, I turned 38. An unremarkable birthday, but it feels kind of powerful with potential—I’m close enough to a milestone birthday that I can be ambitious with some longer-term dreaming and scheming. What do I want to have accomplished by 40? What groundwork can I establish now that will set me up for the best possible next decade?
Shortly after my birthday is my oldest kid’s birthday. I can’t believe I’ve been a parent for 7 years, but here we are, celebrating the vibrant, brilliant life of this gorgeous kid. I make birthday portraits for my kids, celebrating who they are *right now.* I’ve carried on some beautiful traditions my parents invented, and this is a tradition I’m really proud of creating for my kids.
At the end of the month my husband turns 40, and we’re celebrating with some friends and family over the kids’ spring break: we’re headed to the smoky mountains for some hikes, campfires, and at least one trip to Dollywood. If you have any insider info on smoky mountain fun, let me know!
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Since the new year, I’ve felt like there’s a storm on the horizon. Not a destructive storm, but something big is looming. Like the way there’s electricity in the air before a summer thunderstorm in Texas, that shifting smell, the green sky, and then the cathartic relief of tension when the storm breaks and the sidewalks sizzle. After so many years of life-changing challenges of every scale (illnesses! Pandemic! 3 rounds of newborn sleep deprivation! Etc etc etc) & prioritizing care for other people’s bodies and schedules and needs, I’m finally getting enough time and space and silence to realize I need to have a sit down with myself and see where the fuck I even am anymore. I don’t know what is coming, but I feel revelation around the corner.
Wish me luck & send galoshes. <3
Xoxo m