Happy birthday to me....

Oh! I know what you are all saying! I know it’s Monday, not Sunday! That means my blog is…well late! But I have an extremely good excuse!

IT’S MY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!

Yep…on Sunday (usual blog release day) I turned a cheery old 47. Yep….47. 

3 years off 50. 

2 years past 45. 

FORTY SEVEN. 

Now…how the hell did that happen? Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was dancing the night away at the Ritz, never a hang over in sight? Wasn’t it just yesterday I was footloose and fancy-free…..looking at 40 year olds and thinking that it was a life time away? And yet here I am. 47. 

Now….don’t get me wrong. I am far from whinging. In fact I never, ever complain about turning a year older. It’s just crept up on me!

The 19 year old me who could dance non-stop till the lights came on probably didn’t stop to appreciate my youth. I had a blast….but I felt awkward, unattractive, too fat, too boring. I was so busy thinking about what was wrong with me that I never stopped to appreciate what was right with me. 

Age, and life, has a way of making you see the big picture. 

The things that matter. 

You see, 7 years ago, my 40th birthday was spent in Rosebud with my gorgeous, amazing little sister, whom I adore (you may have guessed that!) Now, when my little sister (I’ll call her J) and I get together, we laugh, we sing, we drink wine, we try on each others clothes. But on my 40th birthday, I was with her while we said goodbye to her husband. It was his Memorial Day. He had passed away at aged 41 from cancer. 

The week leading up to his beautiful memorial was the toughest I’ve ever encountered. And yet my J was truly amazing. Was she prepared? Nope….how do you prepare for that? But she amazed me with her strength and courage and determination to get on with life with her beautiful girl. 

That day was the day I stopped forever whinging about turning another year older. 

My birthday serves as a reminder to what so many people miss out on, including my brother in law. And so it drives me to stop worrying about whether everyone likes me, or likes what I wear, or likes how I do my hair. It reminds me to live life as I want to live, to achieve as much as I can, to love as hard as I can and to hopefully add something special to the lives of those around me. 

Because I am not a number. My funny, intelligent, brilliantly creative brother in law was not a number. The thousand’s of people who lose their lives prematurely because of stupid diseases, illnesses or accidents are not just a number. 

And neither are you.

We all have so much to give, so much to offer, so many challenges to face and conquer. Do we really want to waste time worrying about what someone thinks of us? Who has time to waste worrying about such things? Not me. Not you. 

Instead, I want to focus on memories to be made, experiences to be had, time with those we love the most. 

And my birthday weekend has been full of memories made!

My gorgeous kids and husband organised a lunch at a local winery. We ate, we drank, they sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY in hushed tones! They even organised an amazing gluten-free birthday cake (my gluten-free saga will be the topic of another blog..)

We had a fantastic time….it’s quite different celebrating your birthday with your adult children! I mean…..did I ever think I would be spending my birthday lunch wine tasting with my kids?

We also caught up with some great friends on Sunday and we explored new ground…the Nagambie Brewery and Distillery. Oh I could get used to that lifestyle! Grilled haloumi, potato skins, pizza’s for the gluten tolerant  a gin and tonic…or 3.  Lovely and would highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. 

Tomorrow brings a new adventure! My sister J and I are having a night in the city! Together! There will be shopping, a cooking class, a swim at the swanky hotel, good food, maybe some wine and a whole lot of memories to make!  We are even being very optimistic and packing our active wear in case we feel the need for a bit of exercise. I’ll let you know how that goes. I can’t wait…my bag is packed, the train ticket purchased. We have even rung each other to check on clothes we will wear so we don’t turn up looking like twins! So we are set! Can’t wait!

And as turn a year older, I truly appreciate the crows feet near my eyes, my smile lines near my mouth, and even those pesky stretch marks. All a sign of a very happy, blessed 47 year old mum of my beautiful Jake, Elly and Brydie, wife of Scott, daughter, sister, aunty, friend. One who is grateful for every birthday I have. 

And those thoughts of my lovely brother in law, my amazing sister and her beautiful girl never far away.

Celebrate every birthday my friends.

Love,

Cherie with a C.

Xxx