Today has been full of beautiful birthday blessings from family and friends around the world. I love hearing from Jake, my niece P, and getting birthday wishes from the Mayor. Honestly, I’m glad they remembered my birthday because I’m usually the one that sends reminder texts to my hubby and kids. Fortunately, I didn’t have to do that today. I do, however, need to follow up and make sure they wished their aunt Mo a happy birthday yesterday.

I remember as a kid thinking forty years old was ancient( (like a museum piece old) and that life would be over at forty. Fortunately, it turns out I was wrong. In a lot of ways, life begins at forty. You’ve outgrown the silliness of your twenties and thirties and have learned plenty of life lessons. You know what’s important and have already cut out the things and relationships that no longer serve you. To be honest, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies in forties town, but it’s pretty good. I mean, You’ll definitely hurt yourself in some humiliating way like sleeping or reading.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

As to today’s prompt, I was laid off at thirty-nine right before the pandemic. It could be classified as a failure, however, I’d classify it as a gift. As I mentioned before, at forty you’ve learned to cut out the things that no longer serve you. Apparently, at thirty-nine I hadn’t learned that lesson. Well, at least not until I was laid off. I stayed at a job, with amazing people by the way, that stopped being healthy years prior to my layoff. Truly, I should have left earlier. That experience has taught me how to create the work-life balance that I want. Of course, it helps that I make more money at my new job and have no commute.

Thank you to everyone for the beautiful birthday blessings!

Today’s accountability tracker:

• Workout: 45-minute spin class, plus 15-minute cooldown courtesy of Apple Fitness+
• Book: Book: Marcel Proust’s  Finding Lost Time. 
• Blog: done
• Word of the day: risible. Me water skiing behind my dogs as I attempt to walk them is a risible scene.
• Today’s song is Hell Yeah by Rev Theory