The Big 4-0

Hi,

It's the third day of November, and guess what? I've officially crossed the threshold by one day! I'm now writing to you as a forty-year-old woman. Yes, forty. The age my teenage self thought was ancient. You know, the one where you start wearing sensible shoes and talking about the good old days. And now, look at me! I've joined the club! Someone please send a membership card and maybe a coupon for a good chiropractor. 😂

So, how does it feel to be forty? To be honest? Absolutely, hilariously nothing has changed. I woke up, still the same person, still a mother of two trying to figure out which sock matches the other, and still living a life that's aggressively normal. It's almost disappointing! I was expecting a sudden surge of ancient wisdom or maybe the ability to understand tax forms, but nope. Nothing's changed.

Oh, wait, there is one thing. Apparently, this is the age you start performing an obsessive, daily gray hair check. I'm committed in searching for that first silver streak. People say it signifies wisdom, but so far, my head is still full of black hair and the knowledge of where the kids hide their party candy. No gray, no wisdom, I guess. I'm taking applications for wisdom-bestowing gray hairs, I should apply within!

So, what did I do for my monumental fortieth birthday? I worked the whole day! Gone are the days of elaborate, week-long celebrations (which you can totally look up in my historical archives, aka old posts). Now that I'm aging like a fine wine (that occasionally forgets where I left my keys), I'm all about the private, low-key celebration with only my absolute favorite humans.

Behold: The cutest, tiniest, simplest birthday cake I've ever received. It was absolutely perfect. 

Exactly what this forty-year-old needed. 

A few years back, I did the adult thing and turned off all my birthday notifications on every platform. It's wonderful! Now, when a wish comes in, I know it's genuine, and not just Facebook reminding someone I exist. I truly appreciate the love from my family and close friends, the ones who matter the most. 💕

And here's the absolute highlight that made turning forty feel like winning, I got a personal birthday text message from my dad! My dad, the man whose birthday wishes are as rare as a quiet Saturday morning. He usually either forgets (which we've all made peace with) or delegates the wishing to my mom. But this year? A solo text! I'm pretty sure a comet passed and a unicorn was born, it was truly a momentous and cherished occasion.💫

That rare, personal birthday wish from Bapak? A true collector's item!

So, that's my humble, slightly fuzzy-around-the-edges beginning as an "old person" (per my former, judgmental teenage self). I'll be over here, vigorously checking my scalp for that very first wisdom-streak. Wish me luck! 

See you soon. Bye!