Today is my 34th birthday. And I feel better than ever.
It’s cold today. Unseasonably so for early September. The temperature outside will barely rise to 50 degrees and it is expected to rain most of the day. An early Autumn is amazing birthday present. I really do not have much to complain about.
The house is warm. We actually had to turn on the heat as overnight temperatures reached the low 40s. I’m wearing comfy pajamas and cozy socks as I sit here sipping hot tea. I’ve come to love hot tea and quiet wee morning hours when everything is silent and still. As a stay-at-home mom teaching home-schooled children, the silence is appreciate. It’s peaceful.
Yes, 34 looks not just good, but amazing.
We moved into a new house over the summer. It’s beautiful. The windows are enormous, allowing for lots of natural light. The backyard is considerably sized as well, giving my children lots of space to grow. It is a massive step upward from where we were before. With all of the light that comes in, I decided I needed plants. I accumulate more by the week, telling my husband that I just “need” them. I do. They bring me happiness.
We put in a flower bed to wrap around the back porch where there was nothing but grass. The neighbors gave me a few discarded tires as they were moving out, along with an old wheelbarrow, and I turned those into planters as well. I’m not finished with them yet, but I’m getting there.
Turning 34 feels fantastic. I have a clear vision of where I want my life to go at this point; of what I intend to spend the next few years doing. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. And that’s really saying something.
With that being said, here are 34 lessons and aspirations for my 34th birthday that I want to share with you:
34 Things I’ve Learned and Aspire to Do (Before my next birthday):
Lessons:
1. You absolutely have to be comfortable being alone.
2. Kindness is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.
3. Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.
4. Authenticity over anything else. People will love you for it and, if they don’t, they’re the wrong people.
5. No matter how many times you fall, get back up.
6. Forgive for yourself. Inner peace matters more than pride.
7. Speak up when people hurt you.
8. Do what you love.
9. What other people think of you is their business, not yours.
10. You’ll never know everything and there’s nothing wrong with that.
11. Real love will leave you feeling freer and more satisfied than you ever have.
12. Uplift your partner. Their success and happiness is just as important as your own.
13. Being happy is a choice.
14. Growth sometimes means leaving things and people behind, no matter how much you thought they’d always be there.
15. Keep your circle small. Friends are awesome, but they’re rarely authentic.
16. Self-confidence is powerful beyond words.
17. Hold onto the people who stand by you no matter how hard life gets.
18. Keep going, even if your progress is slow. Quitting won’t speed things up.
19. Action is the best possible way to destroy procrastination.
20. Sticks and stones hurt, but words can too.
Aspirations:
21. Become a CNA.
22. Start school to become an LPN.
23. Write every chance I get.
24. Become the healthiest I’ve ever been.
25. Read at least one book per month.
26. Put at least $1,000 into an emergency fund and leave it alone.
27. Become my most confident self.
28. Be the best mom I can possibly be.
29. Be a strong partner in my marriage.
30. Love those around me as hard as I can.
31. Reach my highest spiritual self.
32. Let go of any negativity or self-doubt that is holding me back.
33. Improve my credit score by at least 75 points.
34. Accept life’s lessons and experiences and grow from them.
Have a wonderful day, love. I’m going to go celebrate my 34th with my precious family.
Not A Mombie 