Twenty-seven

picture seen on this blog: http://justcallmechris.blogspot.com and originally from here:http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5002535

Tomorrow seems significant.  True, the marking of any year of one's life is inherently valued.  But there is something more about tomorrow.  It is a day that will start a year that pushes against the edges of my comfortable life and demands more. Life has seemed so compassionately willing to give me every desire I have had but that seems to beg the need to keep desiring more.  More for myself and more for my community.  It can be so easy to suppress lofty goals for the neediness of today.  My lofty goals: A creative career.  A growing family.  A purposeful plan for every day.  And perhaps most difficult, owning the belief that human gestures matter a great deal.  I want to be better.  And yet, and perhaps perilously of more importance, I want to feel deliciously satiated with the woman I already am.

Twenty-sixth year:  What I learned, how I changed, and things I did  

I got married.  

I learned that trusting another person is the most satisfying and life-affirming experience. 

I learned how to brush my teeth without leaving toothpaste in the sink. 

I learned that being with your husband all the time is fabulous fun and then being away for an evening is very centering.

I started teaching an International Baccalaureate class.  

I learned I am not as smart as I once thought. 

I fell in love with words all over again.  

I ran nine miles.

I learned that I am much cooler now than the junior high Jen that would cut laps because she hating running so much. 

I learned that your mind is indeed more powerful than your fatigue.

I lost thirty pounds.

I learned the Mike still looks at me with the same "I want you" eyes - he always saw the best in me.  

I forgot how to feel satisfied with the way I look. 

I traveled to China. 

I went backpacking.

I learned about to take care of business while hovering over the ground.

I talked Katie into become an Oregonian. 

I learned that everyone needs someone, even just one person, that validates everything they are and do.   

I learned that everyone needs someone who sees them in the best possible light. 

I realized that dating stories truly never get old.