A SPECIAL EDITION OF HH IN HONOR OF MY BIRTHDAY TODAY

While I typically dedicate happy hour to favorite moments and things from the past week, and I generally despise the attention that comes with a birthday, I feel like both things falling on the same day was a sign to write an extra special post today. Instead of favorites from the week, I wanted to share some lessons I’ve learned from the last year, what I’m grateful for as I enter another year of life, and what I hope to learn and achieve over the coming years. I hope it can inspire you in some way in your own life, birthday or not.

THINGS I LEARNED

*The older you get, the smaller your friend circle becomes. You begin to find out who cares and who doesn’t, who will be there for you and who won’t, and who will show up when it most counts. More often than not, it’s not the “best friends” or the people you thought it would be.

*Look at what you have, not what you don’t.

*Carve your own path…and be ok with no one understanding it.

*Go at your own pace. Stay in your own lane. Focus on your own work.

*Prioritize YOUR health. The work, the friends, the activities, they’ll be there. But you, well, if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be.

THINGS I’M GRATEFUL FOR

*A forever supportive husband

*All of you. The readers, the subscribers, the commentators, all of you. I pour my heart and soul into all that I do, and while I’ve never done it with the intention of growing it into what it is today, it’s nice to know someone besides my husband and Mom read my site.

*The farmer’s markets full of fresh produce we have access to

*The house we finally found + moved into

*Appliances that are our very own

*My health, especially as this virus begins to take over our lives

*Always, always, always grateful to make it through another year of life, as no day is ever guaranteed

THINGS I’M HOPEFUL FOR OVER THE NEXT YEAR

*Turning “Am I?” into “I am”

*Transitioning a house into a home

*Truly feeling confident and strong in my body and all that it can do

*Practicing patience

*Not getting the virus (Ha!)

*Achieving some big goals, but not beating myself up when things don’t happen, goals change, life throws curveballs, etc.