Anniversary

I forgot to mention: this is the fifth year of the blog. On the 31st, it'll officially be five years old. It feels like forever since I started blogging and I've changed a lot in terms of the type of person I am and more superficially, the types of things I write about. It's been a fun five years, so here's to the next five.

In addition to the Big Five for this blog, I hit the big 3-0 on Sunday. It's vaguely scary because I never thought it would get here, and now it's here and it feels like any other birthday. In some ways, I'm not where I want to be -- professionally, personally -- and that is on occasion disappointing. When people call with big news -- engagements, weddings, babies, promotions -- these days, I don't have much to tell them back.

What I *have* accomplished this year is something I don't necessarily talk about much, but all the same, very proud of: I've become a happier, more confident person, and I don't freak out quite as often as I used to (ask The Fainter). I learned how to swing dance and how to change a tire and the air filter in my car. I learned how to cook tofu and in general, I've been setting off fire alarms a lot less. I managed to get through my first mostly non-hurricane without major issues, and I attacked my paper problem with a vengence. I was out and about more than I was in, and I got better at yoga and made my peace with my hip injury. I bought a whole new wardrobe this year, filled with clingy tank tops, low-rise pants, and fun, flippy skirts, because it's okay to show off. I learned to love baseball, and entered more writing contests this year than I ever have before. But mostly, I learned that I'm not defined by my job or by who I'm with or without. I've lived a pretty good life for my first 30 years, and I'm looking forward to the next 30 to be just as good, if not better.