It was my birthday last week. I really enjoy birthdays, I never do very much, but it is always fun to hear from friends and have a few special treats. This year I was given an ice cream maker which I am very delighted with. A week on and I am perfecting the skill of ice cream making, we have enjoyed mocha ice cream, chocolate ice cream and mango sorbet so far. As a result of the adverse impact this is likely to have my my waistline, and my birthday reflections, I have joined the gym and hope to exercise off the excesses of ice cream indulgence!
As well as an opportunity for treats and celebration of friends and life a birthday is also a chance to reflect and plan. I have always felt glad that my birthday falls at this time of the year a good few months after New Year so that I can see how I'm doing in the light of the resolutions I made. In our family we have another such opportunity in September when a new academic year starts for both husband and son and yet again a routine needs to be established after the summer break as we adjust to new timetables and a different but familiar routine.
I have been reflecting how easy it is to view the past through a false lense - sometimes I recall times as happier than they probably were in reality, sometimes I recall times as darker and bleaker than they were. This is struck me particularly strongly when I met up with a friend last week that I'd not seen for a very long number of years. Catching up on news was lovely but meeting reminded me of a time when I was less settled and much less happy. It is a little bit unsettling to be unexpectedly transported back to a very different time in life and very briefly relive those emotions.
So what have I concluded as a result of a birthday and a trip down memory lane - I enjoy getting older! I have a greater sense of who I am and what my life is about. I have a happier and more settled existence on so many levels, I have a much clearer idea about what creates a sense of well being and how to care for me in the midst of busyness and life. I am more than thankful for what I have. The practical result of these reflections is that I have joined a gym near where I work - a new year resolution for me personally! My other birthday resolution is to practise thankfulness on a daily basis and avoid the risk of living either in the past or for the future.
My January resolution, that this was the year of friendship and I would work hard to meet up with people I'd not seen for a long time, is still going well - this weekend I am meeting up with an old work colleague (we were trainees together) who I've not seen for about 7 years.
Stopping to take stock is good. Finding space to be thankful is even better.
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