Just last year, around this time, I was asking my family not to book any vacations or plan any big surprises. I told them I didn’t want to go to Vegas, New York, or anywhere else. I didn’t want to pack, make schedules, or do anything that required a list.
I just wanted to stay home and do nothing. So, I asked for a seafood boil, a pan of fried catfish fried by anyone in the house other than me, a cake from H-E-B, and a day where I didn’t have to be the center of anything, unless it was me on the couch watching TV.
My family obliged my request. They decorated the kitchen with pink paper plates and napkins. It was a quiet and slow day, and it felt good just relaxing. I needed that birthday more than I realized at the time. For the first time, I was able to unwind.
Now here I am, a year later, and 54 is knocking on the door. The funny thing is, I still want to have a simple day. I still want that cake, and I still want to be surrounded by my family without all the pressure to perform or entertain.
At this point in my life, I am looking at my birthdays a little differently as I get older.
Because something in me has shifted, I want to do something different. I want to say yes more to the mundane things in life. I want to stop waiting for perfect moments and just create them. I want to make memories that don’t require a huge production but still feel wholesome and cozy. I want this year to be the year I try new things, even if I have to do them alone.
Last year was about resting and resetting. This year is about showing up and living beyond what I thought was possible. Not in a dramatic way, but in a real, my own way kind of way. I want to write more, laugh more, make more, try more, and do the things that matter to me, even if they only matter to me.
I want to feel proud of how I live this next year. I want to feel like I made space for joy, for play, for quiet, and for boldness. I want to feel like I finally let myself have the life I’ve been working toward.
So this morning, I’m sitting here with my coffee, thinking about what it means to grow and stretch while still staying grounded in what I love. I still love entertaining, and I still love a little fuss on my birthday. I still love a good seafood boil. But I also love this version of me that’s not afraid to say: Let’s go. Let’s try. Let’s see. Let’s feel. Let’s create. Let’s live.
Just my morning thoughts. Have a great day, by any means!
And if you’ve been sitting in that in-between space, wondering when the right time is to step into your next season, I hope you take this as your sign. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to start. Show up for the life that’s already calling you. You don’t need a big birthday or a perfect moment. You just need a little whisper inside of you and a little coffee. That’s what I’m working with today.
Thanks For Reading,
XO, Tangie
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