life

39! Birthday Reflections

May 20, 2019
morning musings

I vividly remember the card my father made for my mother that said “39 . . . and holding”. It was 1988, and the card was a folded Print Shop masterpiece, thoughtfully designed and printed out onto dot matrix printer paper. It had a big hourglass on the front, and for whatever reason it made a big impact on nearly-8-year-old me, because I definitely do not remember her 38th birthday card, or 40th birthday card, or any others, for that matter (sorry mom).

So 39. It is not just a stepping stone before 40. And maybe Annabel will harbor lasting imagery from this day — one never knows!

I am feeling really lucky and content today. Not about the state of the world, of course, but about my life.

A pretty awesome husband.

3 healthy (gorgeous, amazing, brilliant <– 100% biased maternal view, but it’s my birthday so I can get away with this, right?) children!

A career that a) feels meaningful and fun (most of the time), b) pays well and c) has evolved exactly in the directions of my dreams

2 really enjoyable and rewarding hobbies: the podcast & this blog!

A healthy body that has been resilient enough to tolerate 3 pregnancies, 4 marathons, and numerous Autumn Calabrese-hosted workouts. I don’t really *feel* very old physically, and that is a good thing.

A world where one can order almost anything at the click of a button, where I can video chat with family, where I can watch any TV show I want, and order books on a total whim to arrive on my device instantly (1988 me would be so impressed with these developments!)

Wish list before 40:

It may be greedy to add on to the above, but if allowed to fantasize, I would want:

  • to sell our Miami Beach house (an offer today would be GREAT!)
  • a cure for the common cold (because G has one now – so sad)
  • to keep all of the good things above going (health, job, etc!)

And that’s it.

For fun, because this is the benefit of having kept a blog for such an inordinate amount of time: 25, 30, 35.

12 Comments

  • Reply Arden May 20, 2019 at 6:54 am

    Happy Birthday!!!๐ŸŽ‰

  • Reply Laura Vanderkam May 20, 2019 at 7:12 am

    Happy birthday! Thanks for the mention in your 35-year-old post ๐Ÿ™‚
    Hope the day is filled with marvelous things and the year to 40 as well!

  • Reply Elizabeth May 20, 2019 at 8:07 am

    Happy birthday, Sarah!! Your gratitude for your life is inspiring. So often people choose to focus on the wants in life rather than what they have. Your wish list doesnโ€™t seem greedy at all. Have a great day!! Hope you get some fun celebratory treats in today!

  • Reply Sarah K May 20, 2019 at 9:33 am

    Happy Birthday! You certainly have many things to celebrate today. Enjoy!

  • Reply Lee May 20, 2019 at 1:18 pm

    Happy birthday to you, Sarah! I enjoy reading about the way you “do” life. ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply As Amanda Wanders May 20, 2019 at 4:45 pm

    Happy birthday!

  • Reply Jordan May 20, 2019 at 5:48 pm

    Happy birthday! Love reading here, thanks for sharing with all of us!

  • Reply Chelsea May 20, 2019 at 8:34 pm

    Happy Birthday!

  • Reply Sarah May 21, 2019 at 6:38 am

    Happy birthday, Sarah! Lovely post!

  • Reply Laura Zambrana May 22, 2019 at 12:38 am

    Happy birthday Sarah!

  • Reply Emily May 22, 2019 at 1:06 pm

    Happy belated birthday, Sarah! Love the gratitude-focused reflection on where you’re at now. Hope you had a wonderful day!

  • Reply Liv May 22, 2019 at 8:21 pm

    Happy birthday! I got to know you and your blog through Best of Both World podcast. You have a beautiful voice on air just FYI! Just listened to the episode featuring the lady from Netherlands. Love it!

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