My 40th birthday was just a continuation of the awesomeness that is my lucky life. In fact, this May 16th amped it up a notch.
I started the day getting my gray hair covered and getting my frizz tamed with a Brazilian Blowout. At one point two people were blow drying my hair and the whole scene was so utterly ridiculous I could barely contain myself. I am still not glamorous enough for two people to be working this head of mine.
After my hair appointment, I went to my favorite taco joint, El Gringo, and got my favorite taco, grilled mahi taco not blackened with white fish sauce. (I may have put the complete order here in case you ever need to know what food to order for me for my birthday or Christmas or because you owe me a favor. I have learned to helpful over the years.) I sat at a table by myself, and noticed the other two people sitting at tables by themselves were in their 70s. So I'm apparently getting an early start on that aspect of old age. It really is so relaxing to eat a meal by yourself at a restaurant. I can't believe I didn't realize this until I was almost 40. Grab a book and go get your favorite food for lunch. Bliss.
After my taco I went to Target for some reason I can't remember because I'm 40 now and ended up buying a romper thing that didn't seem too age inappropriate. I have wanted a romper since I was 30 but they all accentuate my love handles and stocky legs way too much so I avoided them. But this one I was like, hey, that ain't terrible, you're 40, it's now or never kid.
While I was waiting for my pictures to print -- ohhhh, that's why I went to Target -- I glanced at the ATM and there was a $20 just sitting in there. No one was around. The screen was on its home page. I pulled it out, said to the empty universe, "Is this anyone's money?" and then used it to buy my romper.
In my 40 years on this planet, one thing that I've learned is that when the universe gives you a gift, you accept it without question. Otherwise, it will send you a shit storm.
When I got home, I got the sweetest card from my oldest friend, complete with dancing chickens on it.
That night I met some girls from work for a cocktail. The 20-somethings drank half of their margaritas and I drank two Old Fashioneds and a beer all the way. My other friend, Patrice, who is beyond her 20s and who is the person I want to be when I grow up because she has balls of steel the size of the Jupiter, also enjoyed double rum and cokes. Which just proves that the older you get, the more edge you need to take off.
My birthday weekend was spent putting on an event at work honoring Trauma Survivors. It went off without a hitch, and that night, we caught a flight to St. Thomas to visit OUR NEW CONDO.
In the curious chaos of life, we found a little studio place when we visited the island back in March, and after some hemming and hawing and are we crazy yeah so whating, we bought it. It is about 10 feet from the water, across the street from the Ritz Carlton, and I fully expect a hurricane to come along and wash it away at some point, but for now, it is a little piece of paradise that our friends and family can escape to.
We had to keep our trip short because Mack had bought me second row!! tickets to see David Blaine for my birthday. I have loved David Blaine for about as long as I have loved Mack, but David does magic way better than Mack so in a love duel, he'd win my affection. When I found out Mack was getting me tickets, I was like, are you sure? because we may fall in love and then you'll lose me and I'll be David Blaine's wife. "That's a chance I'm willing to take," was his reply.
Last night, I saw David. He was close enough for me to smack his butt, standing there with an ice pick sticking out of his bicep. He was as gorgeous and wonderfully strange and funny in real life as he was on all those TV specials I watched. But his show revealed his intense nature, and let's face it, I am 40 and hate intensity.
Over the past 40 years, I have come to peace with the fact that I like easy and chill and a heart rate of 65 with a BP of 95/60. I like ordinary, I like the outdoors, I like laughing more than anything in the entire world. I like my family and my job, and I like eating tacos by myself. I like people watching more than I like perusing social media. I like taking walks and drinking beer and reading books. I like forgiving and forgetting. I like true crime entertainment. The thing I like most of all, though, is this life. The past 40 years have been a gift of experience that I was not owed and did not deserve, but I am so grateful for it all, for every precious minute of it, for every joy and every agony and everything in between. I don't necessarily want another 40 years, but I'll take what the universe has to give me... especially if it's free money left in an ATM.
