The morning of my 29th birthday I was at the helm of my own sailboat watching the sun rise over the mountainous landscape of Utila, Honduras. As the world became bright around me I reflected on previous years, past birthdays, and how I felt about where and who I was after 29 years of life.
I thought about my family and friends and how fortunate I am to have been born when and where and to whom and how different my life could have been. I thought about fate, chance, luck, karma, the powers of the universe and the limitless directions my life could have taken. I thought about my childhood and how my parents shaped me with their hard work ethics and strong belief in their vows of marriage and their faith in family. I thought about the extension of what family means to me and how incredible it is that I have so many loving, inspiringly strong people in my life. As birthdays continue to pass, I have realized that real family doesn’t stop at your bloodline, it branches out, growing and intertwining into a hybrid of life with roots that grow deep and hold firm. I thought about Conor and how I can't even describe how I happy I am that we met and fell in love. I thought about timing and choices I have made in my life that have undoubtedly shaped me and my ideas and also brought me here, watching a beautiful sunrise reveal this unknown country in front of me. I felt happy to be alive.
I wondered what I would have said if someone had told me on my 16th birthday or even my 20th birthday where I would be on my 29th birthday. I don’t think I would have been surprised by the idea of it (I have never been one for traditional life choices) but if the person telling me this future would have gone on and told me all the hard work and planning that went into getting me here, I would have surely said, “Wow, well knowing me, I know a lot of people helped me get there.” And that part couldn’t be more true. As I sat at the helm joyfully taking in how great my life is, I missed my family at home. The same people that worked so hard to help us get here. The people that love us the most, who will miss us the most, love us so much they endlessly helped us leave; and I missed them.
As the morning became brighter and I knew my daydreaming would soon be interrupted by my amazing husband and two adorable dogs who were currently all sleeping on the couch, I said a quite thank you. I’m not totally sure to who, I guess it was a universal, emotional thank you. I said it to the earth, the ocean, the sky, to Conor, to my parents, to Donna and Joe, to all the limbs of my tree from the orchids that grow in between the branches to the very deepest root deep within the earth. To the loved ones that have gone before me to the loved ones that are yet to come, I thought I am blessed to be a very small part of it and to have been given this moment in my life to appreciate them all. I think every year just gets better.
M.
I thought about my family and friends and how fortunate I am to have been born when and where and to whom and how different my life could have been. I thought about fate, chance, luck, karma, the powers of the universe and the limitless directions my life could have taken. I thought about my childhood and how my parents shaped me with their hard work ethics and strong belief in their vows of marriage and their faith in family. I thought about the extension of what family means to me and how incredible it is that I have so many loving, inspiringly strong people in my life. As birthdays continue to pass, I have realized that real family doesn’t stop at your bloodline, it branches out, growing and intertwining into a hybrid of life with roots that grow deep and hold firm. I thought about Conor and how I can't even describe how I happy I am that we met and fell in love. I thought about timing and choices I have made in my life that have undoubtedly shaped me and my ideas and also brought me here, watching a beautiful sunrise reveal this unknown country in front of me. I felt happy to be alive.
I wondered what I would have said if someone had told me on my 16th birthday or even my 20th birthday where I would be on my 29th birthday. I don’t think I would have been surprised by the idea of it (I have never been one for traditional life choices) but if the person telling me this future would have gone on and told me all the hard work and planning that went into getting me here, I would have surely said, “Wow, well knowing me, I know a lot of people helped me get there.” And that part couldn’t be more true. As I sat at the helm joyfully taking in how great my life is, I missed my family at home. The same people that worked so hard to help us get here. The people that love us the most, who will miss us the most, love us so much they endlessly helped us leave; and I missed them.
As the morning became brighter and I knew my daydreaming would soon be interrupted by my amazing husband and two adorable dogs who were currently all sleeping on the couch, I said a quite thank you. I’m not totally sure to who, I guess it was a universal, emotional thank you. I said it to the earth, the ocean, the sky, to Conor, to my parents, to Donna and Joe, to all the limbs of my tree from the orchids that grow in between the branches to the very deepest root deep within the earth. To the loved ones that have gone before me to the loved ones that are yet to come, I thought I am blessed to be a very small part of it and to have been given this moment in my life to appreciate them all. I think every year just gets better.
M.
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| The sun just starting to peak out |
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| Birthday Sunrise |
Happy belated birthday,
ReplyDeleteJust caught up on several posts - great video of the howler monkeys, I now know what they sound like.
Now you can day, I'm the same age as Jack Benny -for every birthday!
Beautiful sentiment! We missed you on your birthday too!
ReplyDelete