making peace with time: birthday thoughts

Today I begin my twenty-ninth turn around the sun.

Today I let my grey hairs show, knowing each was hard fought for.  I trust that my struggles, stress and hardships have shaped who I am.  Today I acknowledge the place the hard stuff has had in my life, while I would choose not to repeat that time, I can still look in the mirror with gratitude.

As I eat my breakfast, I am thankful for the farmers who grew the wheat, sugar, and coffee beans, for those who transported them to my table.  I am thankful for the people behind the food that I eat.  I also remember that there are those who will go hungry today, and I am mindful of my responsibility to use resources carefully and with consideration of my neighbor.

When I walk to school and work, I marvel at my body.  Not with judgments or with other wishes, but with acceptance of what is, gratitude for the health, and the gift of movement.   Today I will deflect thoughts of negativity to myself and my image.  I am who I am, and that is a work of masterful art, which includes my love handles.

I will call my mother and thank her for bringing me into this world.  I will thank my father for holding her hand through the work it took on the day my eyes first opened to this beautiful world.  I will thank them for the gift of being, and thank them again for their part in my becoming.

I will acknowledge also that my becoming is the job of many.  I have been formed by multiple communities, many individuals, and I reflect the beauty of them in who I am.  By the end of the day, I might run out of thank you's enough. (maybe a blog post will suffice)

I am a child of this world, just as I am a child of God.  Both hold a responsibility of being; to live gracefully and with intention to myself and others.  To notice that I am not formed by my own thoughts, but by those around me.  As a citizen of the globe, my family and connections are more than I could ever imagine or anticipate.

And in this day, I will wear gratitude like a garment.  I will sing grace with my words.  In this day, I will look to the world where I live with new, fresh, and open eyes.