Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my birthday. 29 years ago, my mother gave birth to me. I feel like I should have more to say about that, but I really don't.

Instead, I'm taking a page out of Jenna's book (or a tradition from her family) and posting what I've learned this last year.

1. While it's embarrassing for a little while, you get over the embarrassment of having gone through a foreclosure. And you get over leaving the better part of a houseful of furniture, because it's just stuff.

2. My marriage is strong. It doesn't always feel that way, but that's usually because we are focusing on the small differences. When we're dealing with anything big, those differences can come in handy.

3. My family rocks. My dad is currently letting us live with him (we aren't sure how long that's going to last). My sister came up to help us move (even though we didn't end up needing her help that much). My dad has also offered to store some of our stuff until we are ready for it again.

4. Sometimes someone else's pain cuts just as deeply as our own does. We can mourn for their loss as if it were ours. It can make us long to be able to comfort someone, even though there isn't really much we can say or do. It can give the past some merit, even if it doesn't feel like enough.

5. Often change, even painful and surprisingly drastic change, is a good thing. Sometimes when things seem the hardest, you find that you're happy to see the changes happening. And while you may get nostalgic for what was, you're happy that things changed.

6. No two people, even when they go through the same experience, feel the exact same way. You can sympathize more, but it's not the same.

7. My sister is fun to talk to, even when she's talking about people I don't know. She's a great person and I'm glad I got to spend a lot of time with her Friday and Saturday. Also, we both describe movies the same way (We jump around in the movie, trying to tell everything we think is important. I'm sure it's annoying.).

8. Sometimes situations are more fluid than they seem. Things can change quickly. It's amazing how quickly you can adjust to change. It's also amazing how quickly you can figure out what is really important and what isn't.

Today is my birthday. This past year has been one of the roughest of my life. But, I survived it and am able to meet new challenges.

But first, I'm going to celebrate. Because it is my birthday.