Today I am 40 ...

and damn it, nothing is different. Today I am 40 and I feel great. I have worked my butt off (literally - 3 inches of it) this summer. I have cleaned up some very unhealthy eating habits (more on that in a later post). I have been out of work for three months and have loved every last second of it. Today I am 40 and in ten days I leave for France. Today I have three children, who are so sweet, they even volunteered to stay home with me today so I wouldn't be lonely on my birthday. Today I have a husband who respects my choices, my ideas and lets me be who I am. Today I am 40 and I baked myself a kick ass cake! Today I am 40 and I am the same person who I was when I went to bed last night (with a stomach ache and terrible gas). Today the highlight of my day was delivering a forgotten library book to my Clara Jane as she walked, bookless, to the library. Today I am 40 and my powder room still needs to be painted or wallpapered. Today I need to clean out my basement and sell a used drier (do you need one?), baby cribs and assorted other oddities. Today I remind myself that all this will still need to be done tomorrow, so I will just keep it on the to-do (someday) list. Today I will enjoy dinner with Dave and kids and watch them eat noodles with chopsticks ... so fun. Yesterday I was 39, today I am 40 and tomorrow I will still be me, with three kids, a bad leg, all the same crazy insecurities and issues I have always had and an insatiable desire to be a better me than I was the day before. Cheers! (photo courtesy of my bike computer after a 40 mile bike ride this morning)

If you love something...

smile.

This morning while working out at Fusion I was reminded of something very small, but very important - smile!

And it got me thinking. I love, and I mean love, hard, intense workouts that really push me. I am one of those people who could work out all day - regardless! But there I was with I am sure some very intense, not pleasant look on my face and the lovely trainer reminded me to smile! It is easy. And I should have been smiling, because I loved every second of that pain!

So next time you are doing something that you love, even if it is challenging or intimidating, remind yourself you love this - and smile!

Doctors as Nutritionists...

What is not to love? The New York Times posted a great article here regarding a new wave of medical doctors also practicing as nutritionists.

Dr. Eisenberg who started “Healthy Kitchens/Healthy Lives” an organization in partnership with the Culinary Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health, based on the radical notion that if doctors could learn to channel their inner Julia Child (sans butter), they could serve as role models and cheerleaders for their patients.

He even goes as far as to say that he would be fine if his medical services were longer needed. What a breath of fresh air - don't you think?

All I can say is...

when you stop writing for a while and stop thinking about writing it is liberating and easy.

The hard part is turning back on, starting back up. So, I am back. Everyday for the last month I have had a really funny endearing story about our life I have been meaning to share, but somehow they seemed not worthy. I felt as if I needed to find the perfect thing to start writing again. And there it was, the whole problem. That crazy search for perfection.

So this post is not perfect. It is not funny or cute or witty or worth sharing. There isn't even a picture.

We shall see what comes of this.