So I turned 35 today. In my spare time between diaper changes, laundry, and feeding two small children; I decided to ponder the meaning of life. I know, not really a small feat! To be a little more clear, I’m not saying that I started to think about evolution and Darwinism or crazy thoughts like that. It was more about being 35 and where I am in my life. Think Baz Luhrmann’s song “Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen)”. If you haven’t ever listened to that song, you should. It’s a good one.

So with my infinite wisdom (because that’s what you get when you turn 35), here it goes…

I’m going to eat that cake! Notice how I didn’t say slice of cake, I said cake. I mean it. If I want a cake, I’m going to eat the whole damn thing. Most likely after I do I will feel pretty shitty but that doesn’t matter. What matters is the joy I encountered when eating said cake.

If I want that purse or those shoes, I’m going to buy them. As long as it is not near the cost of my mortgage and I can somehow hide it from my husband, I will buy it and not feel bad. Most guys I know won’t even notice anything new. And on the off chance they do, feel free to adopt my favorite line; “oh this old thing?! Nah, I found it in the back of my closet when I was cleaning”. Works like a charm.

Give back. Even if it is in your own little way, do it. If it is buying some cans to give at a can drive or buying one toy for a child in need for the holiday, it will make you feel good. Whatever you can do, no matter how big or small, every bit counts!

Don’t just tell your kids how beautiful or handsome they are. Give them something else, something concrete that they can work with. Tell them how smart or funny they are. How creative or kind they are. We (as a culture) are too beauty obsessed. I have spent too much of my life worrying about my weight or the way I look. Yes, the irony isn’t lost on me since I just said I’d eat a whole fucking cake. That aside, I have so many other qualities to offer besides the way I look. I used to always tell Harper she was beautiful or gorgeous. Two years ago she put on an outfit and in her little broken toddler English said, “I gorgeous, Momma?” and that was all because of me. I followed it up with, “of course you are and do you want to know what else? You are smart, kind and hilarious” and I still do that to this day. It is important to rely on other traits in life rather than worry about how small your figure is (or isn’t).

Laugh often. While you’re at it, laugh at yourself often. Nothing feels better than a belly laugh so hard it hurts, especially when you share that belly laugh with your kid. Or when you are in a meeting and can’t stop laughing at something your knucklehead coworker said. Life is too short to be serious all of the time.

Take pictures; lots and lots of pictures. I have lost many family and friends on facebook by being blocked because of how many pictures/posts I put up. Do I care? Of course not! Every morning I wake up and look at my social media timehop and look back at all of the memories and things I did “on this day” however many years ago. I love it and I won’t stop doing it. While we are on the picture subject, one thing my Nana taught me was to always write dates on pictures. You think you will remember but you won’t, trust me. Not only do I write the date and year, I write the age. My simple math skills are really quite sad.

And oh ya, definitely wear sunscreen. That shit is extremely important.

For me, these are the good old days. These moments right here and right now. Speaking of right now; I’m off to enjoy my birthday CAKE…not slice!