It’s the Best Day of Joannuary!

Today I turn 55. What does 55 mean to me?

It’s a perfectly imperfect marriage where I’ve learned & grown though our successes & our mistakes. It’s working on having healthy communication and respecting each other in a more purposeful way. It’s almost giving up, but finding another way through it & creating the life we want together.

It’s being a mom to a smart, caring, sweet human. He is my joy & purpose. Every day, he teaches me something new and, if you’ve never heard me say it before, I absolutely adore him.

It’s being a stepmom to Jacq and Mikey & watching their journey through this life. It’s being Grandma JoJo to sweet little Henry. I love watching Rob and Jacq as they navigate marriage and parenthood together in a beautiful partnership.

It’s the honor of being an aunt. My sister had three amazing kids. They are adults now and I am so very grateful to be a part of their lives. She would be so proud of them. They are everything she knew they could be. We also have three nieces and a nephew on my husband's side of the family who are all gorgeously full of energy and creativity.

It’s realizing that even though we moved 10 hours closer to our families, it’s still not close enough to see them like we want, but it’s too cold to move any further north.

It’s experiencing how quickly life can change & feeling grateful. Mike had a stroke almost 3 months ago. He’s okay, without huge deficits but it helped him put healthy food and stress management in his life as a priority. It was a scary time for us and helped bring us closer together as we have seen what could have happened.

It’s also watching Mike lose 30 pounds with his dietary changes while the same 8 pounds apparently has no intention of ever leaving me, no matter what changes I’ve made.

It’s wanting a mini highland cow in my backyard, but moving to a neighborhood that would frown upon it. I still fantasize how I could make it happen without anyone knowing… Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

It’s desperately missing my angels every day. Their absence has made me more empathetic and compassionate, but there are times where I feel like I would trade those qualities, if I could have them with me in real life.

It’s having the support and friendships of truly remarkable and genuine women in my life.

It’s humbling.

It’s being comfortable in my own skin.

It’s feeling calm.

It’s understanding how to love the people who show up for you and forgetting about those who don’t.

It’s perfectly imperfect.