40 is the new 40

My 40th birthday is just 10 short days away!  I was discussing this with a friend recently and she commented that we can call it my 30th.  I smiled and told her I'm fine with owning all 40 of the years I've lived, but it did get me thinking.

Why are we so ashamed to admit milestone birthdays or advancing age?  Why would I want to lie about being 40?  If I fib and knock off 10 years from my age, which 10 am I discounting? Which years am I telling the world didn't count?  Was it the year I got honorable mention at the middle school art show?  The year I went to the state debate tournament with my sister?  Or maybe it was the year my mom died, I started my senior year of college, and got into law school - that was a doozy.  I wouldn't want to give up the year I met Bill the ex-boyfriend or even the year I ended that relationship, nor would I skip the one where I got the job with Keller ISD.  I certainly am not giving up the year Matthew made me a sister-in-law or Keaton made me an aunt.  Every single year has mattered to me, and I carry them with me with pride.  Those years come with some wrinkles, gray hairs, and knees that pop occasionally, but they also come with precious memories, dear friends, and additional loved ones.

In 10 days I will be 40, and I couldn't be happier about it.

#16 - Wonder Women

To say that I'm a Wonder Woman fan is like saying I'm an ice cream fan.  There's a deep rooted love of both that resonates all the way to my soul.  I grew up in Wonder Woman UndeRoos.  I've enjoyed comic book hero movies my entire life - even enduring Green Lantern and The Flash.  Thor is the love of my life, but Wonder Woman... she's my hero.  She believes in love and protecting people weaker than her.  She believes in being honest and fighting for what you believe in.  She's not just a superhero, she's my superhero.

Needless to say, news of the Wonder Woman movie sent me into fits of delight!  I've been looking forward to this time for decades.  I started watching my local theater's web page carefully a couple months ago - just waiting for tickets to go on sale.  I pounced the morning the show was listed and decided I wanted to go the evening of Friday, June 2, which also happened to be the last day of school. And I decided I was going to bring some wonderful women along with me.  I purchased an entire row of seats.  That's right... row H at the Keller Moviehouse at 7:00 on Friday was 10 awesome public school employees who came together to celebrate a fantastic school year and a remarkable superhero.  We laughed, we cheered, and we loved every second of it.  So this random act of kindness was as close to my heart as any before it.  I shared my hero with my friends on a magical day when the whole world stopped to talk about how strong a mystical magnificent made up woman can be.  I loved it so much I went again on Sunday.  Celebrate the strong women in your life - it's an act of kindness.

#15 - Bake Up Some Kindness

One of our middle schools (shout out to Hillwood Middle School!) is using this last week of school to plan, organize, and execute service projects around the area.  There are over 20 teams of kids engaged in project management and community engagement, and I could not love this whole idea more!  So when a group of young people showed up yesterday selling baked goods to raise money to donate to our local food pantry, I was more than happy to purchase everyone in the hall a treat.  When I told the young lady to keep the change from the $100, she didn't quite know what to say.  Random acts of kindness can sure be sweet!