44 and not afraid to admit it!!!!

I turned 44 today.  That’s right the big DOUBLE 4!!!!  I have lived, breathed, loved, hurt, gasped, screamed, laughed, fallen, jumped, dived, wallowed, basked and enjoyed life for the last 44 years.  Yes, I have wrinkles on my face.  You know why?  Because I smile and raise my eyebrows and I’m 44 freaking years old.  I SHOULD have wrinkles!  I have never been one of those women who is afraid to acknowledge how much time I have spent on this planet. It should be worn as a badge of honour.  I should be standing on the street corner yelling “Look at me!  Look at all I’ve done in my life!”

I decided I was going to be a world-class gymnast at the age of 8 after seeing Nadia Comăneci at the Montreal Olympics!  I won a public speaking contest for Kingston Elementary School when I was 11 years old with a speech entitled “Our Country Canada is Great”!  At the age of 13 I lived in California  and I survived bullying from a pack of adolescent girls.  I was class valedictorian for my high school!  (Not because I had the best grades, but because I was the best public speaker – see previous accomplishment – who was also an A student!)  I graduated university with a degree in … THEATRE!!  I have written 4 one-woman shows, several plays, a bad romance novel, three children’s books, 1/2 an erotic romance, 1/2 a YA vampire novel, 2 screenplays, articles, letters to the editor and a vampire rock opera.  I have had my heart broken and found love again!  I have an amazing daughter who makes me laugh at least once a day and who makes me weep when I see her dance!  I was a surrogate for another family and have the best in-laws on the planet!  I found a partner  who makes my life as close to perfection as possible – a partner who is there for me, who supports my insanity and who surprises me with the most thoughtful of gifts – not just on my birthday – but nearly everyday.

I have friends who support and love me – who break bread with me and who let me cry on their shoulder when the need arises.  Life can be messy, and sure my body doesn’t do what it once did, but I am 44 years old and I’m in better cardio shape now than I have EVER been in my life!  This year has brought incredible adventure and has taught me that old dogs can indeed learn new tricks.    I listen to music differently, pay more attention to the way words rhyme and I’m producing a workshop for a vampire rock-opera this summer.  I am 44 years old and life is freaking  GREAT!!