numbers mean nothing

i turned 37 recently which is crazy to me since i don't feel a day over 29. my recent 20 year high school reunion proves otherwise. sometimes i don't think my life has changed much since i was that age but in many ways it has.

while i don't have the family i dreamed of, yet, there is a family of friends who surround me with love. my recent trip to nashville showed me that and more. although many have friends may have moved away, they continue to show up and cheer me on. even though living alone can be lonely, i know i am not alone.

when i bought my house at 25, i figured i would live in it a few years and sell it before i really had to do any work. ha! never did i anticipate being there for 12 years. yet that single decision has made so many other ones possible like paying off student loans (hallelujah).  

professionally, i still work in the nonprofit sector. becoming an executive director over four years ago was as challenging as expected but also suprisingly rewarding. i've learned a lot about the kind of leader i want to be and get the opportunity to positively impact lives on a daily basis. now i even have letters after my name. i had put off the CFRE exam for multitudes of reasons. when my dad passed, i realized there is never a good time. just do the thing. so i did and i felt like it made him proud. it makes me proud (even though most people don't know what it means). 

recently i watched a friend's dog and when i dropped him off, she tried to hand me cash. i refused to take it because i was so grateful to have a dog in the house that i didn't want to be paid. more importantly, i didn't need to be paid. that is a big change from a few years ago. i was hustling with babysitting and dogsitting to earn extra funds. because of my house and my job, i'm now able to afford (mostly) what i want. and i have all i need.  

the last two birthdays before 37 were difficult to celebrate. at 35, i had recently lost my dad and at 36, i had recently lost my dog. losing those two precious parts of my life made me realize how time is a gift and it won't last forever. 

celebrate we will because life is short but sweet for certain.

so i celebrated my 37th in style and 38 is quickly approaching. while i'm not where i thought i might be, maybe i'm exactly where i should be. 

who knows what the universe has in store.

and numbers mean nothing.