Birthday Epiphany

A Tardy Report from the Queen of Obvious Epiphanies:

The day of my 30th birthday, I had an epiphany. It was a common and fairly obvious revelation, as epiphanies go, but it felt like a cold sip of water after hours hiking through the desert – it chilled me all the way through. I was driving in my car and had reached a crossroads. While I was looking one way, then the next, it came to me. The epiphany. It was so clear, so amazing, that as I turned onto the main road, the sun shining through the windshield, a new world ahead of me, I thought, there’s no need to write this down. I will remember this moment forever.

Then I pulled into the parking lot at the big box grocery store and began my shopping. Somewhere between the fresh vegetables and the bulk bins, I lost it.

With or without my moment of clarity, I had a wonderful birthday. Pink champagne, a custom-made birthday cake with pink frosting and champagne cream filling. A patio set (see background of above picture) – a joint gift from my father and husband. A couple visits from friends. Good career news.

Turning 30 has worked out for me, a mental shift that allows me to muster will-power previously untapped. There’s been a lot going on since my birthday, but I’ve weathered it pretty gracefully. My mantra: “I’m thirty. I don’t cry about the little things anymore.” It’s so simple, but it’s working. Similar to the way a long distance runner plays a mental game to keep the body moving forward, my birthday has been a mind milepost that has granted me instant access to maturity when I need it. Who needs epiphanies?