The Hawaii Chronicles III: Milestones

Seems alot of our life is about milestones lately: first smiles, first words, sitting up, eating solid (if you can call it that) food, first day of preschool, the list goes on. In Hawaii, I embraced a milestone of my own, turning 40. It is one of those milestones that we seem to make a big deal about, kind of like sweet 16, or turning 21. Except that instead of looking forward to a set of car keys or a legal beer and a life story yet to be written, you are looking back. And forward. At the same time. Maybe that is what freaks people out so much about turning 40. You are right (if you're lucky) in the middle. There are those things not yet done, but there is still time to do them (if you hurry ;-)

I remember my first experience with a 40th birthday. It was one of my aunts or uncles (although I confess I can't remember who). There was a birthday party at my Auntie Winnie's house and I remember a birthday cake with a big 40 on it and a lot of Lordy You're Forty jokes. I know it wasn't my parents. They were WAY younger than 40 0n that day. But I do remember thinking, wow, 40 is OLD. And now here I am.

Turning 40 has given me some great bargaining power. I managed to convince Greg that a trip to Hawaii was in order. Somehow he agreed to not only the cost of the trip, but also to the inconvenience of dragging our little angels on two epic travel days through several time zones. I'm not sure if he agreed b/c he felt sorry for me (she's turning 40, I better appease her), or because he truly reveres the "specialness" of this birthday. Or maybe he is plotting his own 40th birthday adventure and wanted to make sure I would agree when the time came.

On the morning of my birthday I requested some quiet time to take in the early morning on Lanikai Beach. I wanted to just 'be' and see what happened. Would I panic at my vanishing youth? Would I feel myself filling up with the wisdom of my years? Would I simply wish I had asked for a sleep in instead? What I felt was an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Gratitude for the people and experiences that have made up my life thus far. Gratitude that I am here at all, to experience turning 40. Shortly thereafter I received a birthday greeting from a dear friend and he included the following quote that he came across on his 40th birthday, "I take happiness to be a state of conscious gratitude for the circumstances of one's life." Gratitude. Happiness. Turning 40. It's All Good.