Happy birthday to me…on the 24th. Ha! Aries girl. 56 is a number and if I think about it, just a number. Numerologically it’s 11, which is pretty cool – a prime master number. What it represents however, is that I’m closer to 60 than to 50. In the eyes of some, I’m old. Ewwww…, I think.

Gone are the days when I can skip my morning stretch and strengthen routine. Exercise no longer feels like a choice and food sensitivities have heightened. My body is certainly needing more daily care than it used to. But that’s okay – this was probably true since early adulthood. I just didn’t pay attention. Loving, daily self-care feels essential and more importantly, nourishing to my soul. Like it helps me to be more plugged in to my guidance.

My Dad took a train across Russia when he was 90. 90 seems a long ways away. Then again, so did 60 just a few years ago.

My Mom…she aged well, but on some levels it’s hard to say she really embraced a life that she loved. From the time she first gave birth at the age of 22, she was living for someone else. That continues now as she shares a room in the nursing home with my step father. I don’t want that.

There are many women in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s that I deeply admire – they LIVE great lives. I want to be one of those women when I get there. I want to LIVE always!

I’m pulling away from living on behalf of others. It’s a process because it can be easy to get lost in the daily routines of raising children and then caring for elderly parents. And then there’s the marriage relationship. Thank God, Peter and I are so compatible. It’s easy to lose oneself – as my mother did.

I need to make sure I’m living full on and keep this trend I’ve begun of pulling away from living on behalf of others.

Not to say I don’t cherish my relationships and family experiences, I do! And I will always be involved and connected with them. In every way, my Honey is my partner – body, mind and spirit.

But I cannot lose myself either. This is my time.

56…and beyond. Feels good!