This Is 38

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Last month I went to New Orleans for the first time. Walking around Jackson Square there was an abundance of Tarot readers, psychics, and palm readers. I’ve always wanted to have my palm read, so without a lot of thought I sat down in a red lawn chair across from a woman with dark hair and big sunglasses. She asked me to open my hands like a book and without hesitation started reading my palm. 

I don’t know the tricks of the palm reading trade, but she was on point with many observations:

-I married someone who was my friend first.
-I have always been drawn to water.
-I am stubborn (I prefer the word “tenacious”).
-I am a healer by profession and own my own business.

She also had some interesting predictions:

-I will live a long and healthy life.
-2020 will be a great year for career.
-I will travel to the Bahamas within a year and Europe within two years.
-She lost me when she said I’d have three children, but “children” may not mean literal children. There are also three children who are extra special to me—my nieces and nephew.

Of course it was all in good fun, but my takeaway was that I get to choose what my life will be. I can take advice or even entertain mystical predictions from others, but ultimately my soul is in the driver's seat.

As I turn 38 today, I’ve been asking myself a lot of questions. Is this where I thought I’d be at 38? Is this where I want to be? What do I want to do more of in the coming year?

This is approximately where I thought I’d be at 38 and this is where I want to be. The more important question is what I want to do more of in my 38th year.

I want to spend more time...
-basking in the present moment.
-staring at the mountains and Puget Sound.
-walking and grounding on the earth.
-exploring nearby destinations.
-acting spontaneously.
-experiencing everyday life with wonder.
-feeling gratitude for my blessings.
-writing, writing, writing.
-being intentional when using the internet.
-approaching my clients with curiosity and openness.
-living in accordance with my soul.

These tenets are what I consider a life well lived. In the past I would make a list of “to dos” each birthday that valued productivity and success over how I want to feel. After a transformative year, both personally and professionally, I feel ready to accept all the gifts life has to offer and wait in wonder of what the upcoming year will bring.

"You are as young as your dreams and not as old as your calendar." - Shimon Peres