Celebrating Today

Image from Flickr by Will Clayton

I love secrets. And birthdays. And new beginnings. So today’s kind of perfect.

Today I turn 40, and I’m so excited about this decade of my life. In my 20s I became a mother, the most important thing that’s ever happened to me. In my 30s I had a wedding, another baby, and became a published author. Life has been good to me, but I have dreams left to chase, like

• earning my English degree. Today I am two semesters away from graduating from ASU, having returned this summer to complete my bachelor’s degree. I should graduate in the spring.
• publishing more books. Today I collected my first winner’s badge from NaNoWriMo, having “camped” out this month—in secret ;)—to write my third book. In April, I wrote my second book, which I’ll be revising next month.
• changing careers. Today I go to work for a job I started when I was 29; I’ve loved working there and will probably continue for a few more years, but in my heart I know I’m meant for a career in writing, editing, or teaching.

There’s so much more to look forward to as well: seeing my children graduate from high school (!!!), reading hundreds of new books, and blowing out the candles on many more birthday cakes.

But for now, I’ll just celebrate today.