Wearing of the Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!  The Catholic church decided to move St. Patrick's day to March 15th this year but I'm ignoring them.  How can you have St. Paddy's day on the Ides of March?  Or on a Friday for that matter?  If you're Catholic you can't eat meat on Friday!  Are they granting special dispensations to everyone so they can indulge in corned beef and cabbage??  Mmmmmm....corned beef and cabbage.  I must remember to go buy some today since it will probably be on sale now.

Maddy was all decked out this morning in every green piece of clothing she could find.  She had a lot to choose from since green is her favorite color.  I don't think anyone will be pinching her today!  Even her new braces are green!  Isn't she just too cute?

If it's St. Patrick's day (and my brother's birthday), that must mean I am one year older as of yesterday.  37 years old.  Wow.  That is suspiciously close to 40.    Of course, all of my friends who are a year older than me are kicking me under the metaphorical table right now.  I just keep thinking of that scene in When Harry Met Sally where she is on the phone with him sobbing and she wails, "I'm gonna be 40!"  He says, "When?"  and she replies, "Someday!"  It seems stranger to me that my little brother is 35 today!   

I just don't feel that old.  In my head I feel exactly the same as I did 10 years ago.  It's strange how other people's perceptions of you shift as you get older even though you feel the same on the inside.  Most of the high school kids I work with act like I am completely invisible or at least some other species of creature entirely. 

I hate seeing photos of myself recently.  I just don't look like I think I should.  I no longer match the image in my mind.  I don't mind the image I see when I look in the mirror (most days) but photos just make me look old and tired.  I don't feel old and tired (most days). 

St. Patrick's Day means Spring is coming.  Daffodils are blooming, grass is growing and everywhere new life springs up.  Time for new growth and change.  Time to clean out the old and get ready for the new.  Lots of changes are taking place in our life right now and I am engaged in the familiar struggle between acceptance and resistance, between embracing and denying, between grumpy and grateful.  Gratitude is winning out today.  It might have something to do with that leftover birthday cake I ate for breakfast.

Comments

[beej]

Happy Day After Birthday, Roo! So awesome to see you yesterday and I hope you got everything you very mostest wanted for your b-day.

-one of those friends who is older than you. And also you should just shut up about that now.

[Mim]

Maddy is indeed wearing the green today! Too cute!

Happy belated b-day! You have NO ROOM to complain! I changed the title of my Vox blog to dreading 40 right after I turned 39. Now it's dealing with 40. Some days are better.

How can I be 40 so soon!?!?! How? Please explain it to me :)

((hugs)) and kisses