Embracing the Number

To put it mildly, yesterday morning was hectic.  I woke up early with Timmy, and almost as soon as I turned on my computer I began to feel overwhelmed. Instead of my inbox overflowing with birthday greetings, I was met with frantic emails explaining a diverse array of crisis that required my attention.  Even before I slurped down my first cup of coffee, I was feeling stressed.

After plugging away at the issues throughout the morning, I finally began to feel settled.  While everything was certainly not fixed, I felt that the situations were on track and out of meltdown mode. Resolved to make to the best of the remainder of my birthday, I decided on a whim to surprise Robby's classmates with ice cream during their recess.

Let me tell you, walking onto the playground with ice cream on a hot day instantly elevates you to hero status. I was met with squeals, cheers and smiles, all of which immediately boosted my mood. Hearing all of his friends enthusiastically sing Happy Birthday to me was one of the highlights of my day. 

As all of the friends were happily munching on their ice cream, one little girl asked me how old I was today.  Deciding to own my age, I proudly proclaimed that I was 41 years old.  I wish I had a camera to record how her face instantly morphed from excitement to shock.  ""Wow. That's close to being dead. Why are you smiling?"

Without missing a beat, another little cherub decided to chime into the discussion.  "Wow. You're as old as my Granny. She's really old too."
Before I could change the topic, another friend graciously offered, "My Dad can give you botox if you want. He does that a lot with old people."

I instantly regretted my decision to be truthful about my age. So much for celebrating and embracing the number!