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I'm a freelance writer, wife and mother of one from Western Massachusetts. Spending time with my family and having the honor of raising my son together with my husband is where my whole heart is. Just before our son was born we fell in love with the location of a fixer upper lake house and moved in when I was VERY pregnant. We've been renovating ever since. When I'm not writing, filling the roles of wife or mother, I enjoy a relatively new passion, boxing. It's an empowering workout like none I've ever experienced. Watch out for my right cross. I'd love to hear from you. Email me traceywrites@mass.rr.com.

Monday, October 27, 2014

What positive changes or realizations have manifested in your life?


 
Reflections of Forty


It’s about a month since I turned forty.  

I had to give it a little while to see if the milestone would actually sink in.  Honestly, it hasn't.  I don’t feel any different than I did a little over a month ago or six months for that matter.  I guess the old saying about being as young as you feel is true.  I sometimes catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and am surprised not to see a 20 year old college girl.
 
Yes, the grey hairs are slowly losing the battle with the brown and little creases in my face when I smile seem to have set up a permanent home there no matter my expression, but it’s all good.  I mean I rivaled my six year old when playing like a child on my birthday getaway to Universal Studios.  If I can be just as exhilarated as he was on the Despicable Me ride and just as amazed by doing pretend magic with a Harry Potter wand, then I guess age really can be just a number.  It doesn’t matter if that number can’t be counted on my hands and feet any more without using a multiplier. 

The week of my birthday I took a drive out to the Peace Pagoda in Leverett, Ma.  If you haven’t been there it’s really worth checking out, http://newenglandpeacepagoda.org/.  I didn’t plan the drive, but it was an item on my 40 by Forty list that I hadn't gotten too and it just worked out that after dropping my little guy off at school I had an hour to kill before an appointment.  So, I took advantage of the beautiful, sunny, crisp, autumn day and sat in silent serenity.  


I found myself reflecting on the list of things I accomplished in my 39th year.  


How much joy and happiness most of them had brought not only into my life during that time, but my family as well.  I remembered little trips we took, walks or bike rides we went on together and it reminded me that it shouldn’t take a birthday milestone to make sure to carve out special time for myself and my family. 

There are a few things on the list that I didn’t get to or wasn’t able to attain and that’s okay.  I’ve made peace with them.  I’ll figure out why their importance waned in a year’s time and if they’re even something I want anymore.  Maybe I’ll replace them with new challenges.

In any event, I sat there in Leverett, surrounded by nature thinking of how quickly time goes by and how it really felt like yesterday that I had begun my year long journey and 40 by Forty List.  I’m so grateful for my life and everything that brought me to where I am today.  Four decades is a good amount of living and I’ve certainly changed many times during that period.  

Gratitude became the theme of my meditation at the Peace Pagoda that day.  It’s something I feel I’ll carry with me during this upcoming year.  Knowing many adventures still lie ahead and many life changes surely will come. 



Women are inspiring - No matter our age - Experience breeds wisdom
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What positive changes or realizations have manifested in your life?


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