A lady looks at 52

This past Thursday I turned 52 years old. To celebrate, over the last few days I…

• Had a massage and facial
• Took a day trip to Wildwood, NJ
• Ate at a new-to-me-restaurant
• Was feted by Nephews A&B and their entourage

And tonight I’m off to the Phillies game. Not a bad deal!

Looking ahead at 52 requires a look back at 51. It wasn’t my favorite year. I had a lot of large and small aches and pains, ranging from the ones that sent me to PT down to achy thumbs. And it really had me down. I booked a massage and facial for my birthday specifically because I have spent the last year regarding my body and face with contempt and I wanted to reboot that all. It was a very good idea.

Here are my intentions for year 52:

Get outside more. New Jersey is full of outdoor trails and paths and I’m ashamed to say I’ve only been on one. New Jersey is also full of great beach towns, and I only really frequent two. A month or so ago I solicited suggestions for new daytrip worthy beaches. Wildwood, which I hadn’t been to in almost 20 years was the first stop. And I have a short list of trails. I don’t want to say I want to HIKE these trails because I am many things but a hiker is not one of them. But I think walking outside in places that are new to me is a good goal for this year.

Be more creative. When I’m not happy, I don’t do crafty things. I haven’t made cards in a few months, and I have only touched my watercolors a few times since last year’s classes. I am terrrrrrrrrrrrrrible at watercolor. I have no nuance. Everything is a blob. But maybe, doing crafty things makes me happier. It’s worth a shot.

Be more mindful with my words. It is a common trope that women over the age of 40/45/50 run out of fucks to give and I’ve definitely become more vocal. But because I have spent decades of my life trying to be nice and not make people feel bad and not rock any boats, I am not very practiced at speaking my mind calmly. I’m not saying I’m wrong, or being unnecessarily combative. But when I need to speak up, I’m going to pause, take a breath, and speak slowly. I need to build some gravitas. (I did not ask that question.)

Happy birthday to me and happy Virgo season to us all. 🙂