It Really Is A Wonderful Life

Earlier this evening, I had the opportunity to kick up my heels and relax on the couch. There was a fire blazing in the hearth and a mug of peppermint herbal tea in my hands. There was a baby cooing and aahing as he happily scooted and rolled from one toy to the next all over the living room floor. My older children were giggling with each other in the other room. We had just finished a divine dinner of leftover Christmas roast, veggies, Smurf-blue mashed potatoes (Akiko's request), and Grandma Char's rolls.

Now, I know a couple of you are thinking, "...and then disaster struck," but no, my friends, it didn't. This scene played out for a good 45 minutes. Seriously. And the only reason it stopped was because I had finished my herbal tea and decided to clean up the dinner mess.

It was during this picture perfect scenario that I paused to reflect on how blessed I am. This year, I turn... dare I say it?... 30. There you have it. Now you know, if you didn't already, how old I am. Anyway, I've been watching my friends on Facebook, as they've ended their third decade, with some bemusement. Some have welcomed the milestone with open arms, but most have gotten through it with dreaded undertones. So, you're probably wondering where I stand on the issue.

I welcome it. Let's face it, when I turned 19, 20, and 21, I thought I was utterly awesome. In retrospect, I was an utter doofus. I made many decisions that came back to haunt me in some very bad ways. I was immature and unreliable and extremely selfish.

As a glass half-full kinda girl, I like to think that I was just "getting it out of my system," but really, there were a lot of dumb things that I did, and consequences to be dealt with, that could have been prevented. By the time I was 22, I decided that where I was headed was not where I wanted to be and I made some huge and drastic changes in my life. It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but, oh, it was so worth it.

So, as I lay on the couch, thinking about life, I decided that, for turning 30 this year, this is exactly where I want to be. I couldn't be happier. Let's see what the next decade brings!