Marking passages of time...

I love this picture of a woman holding the moon...or the illusion thereof. It makes me think of the power we have as individuals - to create from the moment we are born that endures until we take our last breath, perhaps even longer. But we won't know the answer to that mystery until we get there ourselves.

I believe that is why this picture came to me - because I've been thinking about how time passes and even more specifically my birthday tomorrow. While I know everybody else is excited about it, to me it is just another day. It is a marking of time, a passage of some sort as I enter my 40th year.

When I take the time to look back over the first 40 years of my life there is so much happiness, so much joy, so many lessons learned and so much more than words can express. From this aging perspective - perhaps more mature is the better way to say that - I can see that things I thought mattered so much years ago, have a much different priority these days. The intensity of some emotions have been replaced by appreciation and richness. The love I though was all encompassing is growing deeper than I had ever thought possible and my dreams have all come true and its time to create more.

I love being this age and having the gift of reflection as I know this mirror will be my greatest gift moving forward into whatever the next 40 years have to offer. I will try to explain this to those who want to have some big party for some achievement I do not feel, as for me, this is just another step into a much larger life that I cannot wait to get started.

I am so happy to be on this journey with myself and am looking forward to everything that comes next in my life. I am not so blind as to assume there will be no heartache, sadness, loss or anger to accompany me - but they too have been my bedfellows over these past 40 years and I have come to a certain appreciation for them and the gifts they bestow. I do not shudder in horror or run for cover from them any longer, but embrace them with a comfortable acceptance that comes with knowing what to expect.

I am grateful for the wisdom these years have taught me as I doubt my appreciation of my life would be as complete without it. I love with a greater freedom than I have ever known and I embrace life without hesitation no matter what it brings. The smiles far outweight the price of the tears. The laughs are worth the bumps and scratches as I learn another lesson. The calm and peace I feel are well worth the past prices of admission to achieve these precious gifts. The education I have received from a life filled with curiosity and an inability to stay still have given me a wider, far greater path to head towards than I could have ever dreamed or imagined.

As I look beside me I see my one true love holding my hand as we walk towards the many sunsets we will share. If I continue to look I see the many years of family, friends and people that have touched my life in some way or another. Even though I may not see some of them any longer, I still see them with me as they are all part of me, who I am now and who I will continue to evolve into as the years pass.

This first part of my life has been so wonderful but I am ready to move onto the next phase with grace and dignity, but also filled with a great curiosity and impatience to experience all that will be. I pray that I will continue to grow into the person I am meant to become with the new lessons I will be taught and I look forward with vigor to the joy of the journey of this mystery called life.

If you are interested the "brother" to this picture is called "Man holding the sun" and can be found on my other blog http://www.writingisgoodforthesoul.blogspot.com/.