march 2nd and counting

It's March 2nd today (a dreary, rainy March 2nd here in Vancouver, by the way), and my 27th birthday is 12 days away. I've long teased my husband for being sensitive about getting older, and have never really understood the trauma of a birthday. After all, each year adds more experiences and memories to your repertoire of life. I've always felt it is important to be grateful for each day that passes, and even to be thankful for the challenges you face. Our struggles, as much as our joys, make us who we are. Contentment in all circumstances, right? So another birthday should be just another chance to celebrate what has happened in the last year that has brought you to where you are today. Right? (By the way, did you know that people who tend to have a positive outlook on life- regardless of whether their circumstances are easy or difficult- tend to be happier people than those who take a negative outlook?)

But this year... I have much to celebrate from the past year. I have learned much, grown much (I hope), and truly have experienced some wonderful turns of events. I am HAPPY. I have nothing major to regret from the last year, nothing huge to wish for. I really am BLESSED. But 27? Somehow that just feels weird to say. I don't feel 27. Every year up to this point, I think I have felt that I've grown into my age- or my idea of what that age means. But 27? That doesn't necessarily sound old, but it sounds ADULT. And I don't feel like an adult. Okay, sometimes I do. For example, we just bought a new bed (the one we had been sleeping on was over 10 years old, and it was a double), and we decided to spring for the king sized mattress. It's huge! It's like swimming in the cozy warmth of soft sheets and down comforters. And for some reason, owning a king sized bed makes me feel like an adult. It conjures up images of David and I dozing on Saturday mornings, while our kids climb under the covers with us and beg for pancakes. But isn't it funny that something like this makes me feel like an adult? Other than the king sized mattress, I'm just a girl trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up.