March is my birthday month. Birthdays are weird. (Am I right or am I right?) They never feel as unambiguously celebratory as I think they ought to, or as our culture tells us they should. It’s not simply fear about getting older, actually, although I know many women struggle with growing older and birthdays can feel loaded with cultural and emotional baggage. It’s not that, though. I am grateful to be in my thirties (my twenties were emotional pandemonium!) and I feel (mostly) excited about where I am in my life.

I am turning 31 this year, and in almost all ways I feel happier and more fully myself than I have at any other time in my life. I have been working hard the past ten years to investigate my “stuff”, to clear away layers of conditioning and limiting beliefs to get to the bottom of who I am and what I value most. With each passing year, I have worked to align my life more and more with what is most important to me. And yet, birthdays can still feel complicated, and this one is no exception.

I am standing in my childhood bedroom as I write this, reflecting on how familiar it is, and yet how much has changed in my life and in the world over the years I have passed in and out of this room. I’m looking at a vase of flowers that my mom placed here, complete with daffodils from her garden (thanks, Mom!). I am also looking at a large, hand-written poster of the above Goethe quote. I am feeling tenderness as I think about my family and friends and many blessing; deep gratitude; some sadness; and nostalgia for times when the world felt less complicated than it does now. I feel anxious about the state of the world, and even more committed to doing my part and having the impact that I have during my lifetime. All of the feelings! #proudpisces

Perhaps that is what creates anxiety for me around my birthday:

Despite the fact that I have sometimes overdone the self-reflection and self-questioning, I believe that one of my gifts is assisting others to get really clear, honest, and accountable about what they want in their lives. So, without precipitating any existential crises, I invite you to consider the following:

• What are the things that matter most to YOU?
• Are you attending to those things with love, patience, and attention? What are the people, places, situations, or things (or devices?) that distract you from what is most important?
• If not, what is one, simple, achievable step you could take today to create more space for what you value most deeply?

That’s my birthday gift to you. 🙂

I would love to hear from you, about what matters most to you at the end of the day, on this day and every other. I invite you to (gently!) make more space for those people, places, things, and activities.

With love!

Lucy