Honeeeeeeeey, I’m 40!!

Wait, what? How did my 30s end so fast!?

Turning 40 in 2020 was supposed to be epic.

I had a super glamorous Gatsby-themed bash planned. LOL. There were supposed to be blingy ostrich feathers and long sparkly gowns and a live Jazz band where many of my closest friends and relatives would join me in drinking champagne… (Ughhh… While I realize how pompous I sound, this is actually true).

But COVID-19 arrived and cancelled plans for people everywhere. My 40th birthday came and went without the glitz and glamour of the Roaring 20s. I didn’t have a Charlie Chaplin imitator welcoming guests to my house, but my best friend Sheryl stopped by with flowers and gifts, Paul and the kids decorated the house with Happy Birthday balloons and ordered a tres leches cake and my parents arrived with my sister Irene and two bottles of Dom Perignon. It was so, so special!

Prior to turning 40, I had been asking myself— “Have I accomplished everything I meant to do in my 30s?,” “Did I close out the last year of my 30s decade where I thought I would be?”. “Am I rich, skinny and famous?” LOL.

The answer is “no”. But that’s entirely okay. In my 30s I gave birth to two beautiful and healthy boys. I realized that my life purpose is to be a communicator and I did a few things to nurture that conviction. In my 30s I also realized that as long as there’s the promise of tomorrow, it’s never too late for anything.

When you love and genuinely wish others well, the same energy and intent fills your own space. When you celebrate the success of others, you’re pretty much welcoming that same success into your heart, which in turn allows you to live in abundance. My 30s taught me a lot!

All this to say, when my dad raised his champagne glass in a toast for his oldest daughter on her 40th birthday last week, he said many nice things about me but what struck me most was hearing him tell me he was proud of me.

Words are so powerful!

At the end of the night, I knew that feeling gratitude, enjoying good health and listening to beautiful words from the people that matter most was the best 40th birthday experience a woman can ask for.

Turning 40 in 2020 was, in fact, EPIC.

Thanks for reading, friends!

Xo,

-Anabel M.