All I can say is WOW! I didn’t know it was possible to feel so much joy all in one day! Just wanted to share a few highlights from the big  5-0. And get prepared, I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of exclamation points.

Folks know I love decorating. I got to my office at 7:00 a.m. and found not only the usual black balloons, but a HUGE stuffed buzzard with spectacles on it and a sign saying, “Happy Birthday Ya Old Buzzard. Keep on Moving.” Everyone in the office heard about it and visited all morning. I’ll include a picture of it at the end of this post. No one had ever seen anything like it.

Flowers, food, and fun!

There was food at work. I was on a sugar high all morning. A good friend from out of town sent me flowers. I love getting flowers! My sister-in-law, Jerri, spent three hours in the car to deliver my Birthday gifts! (I told her to just mail them but she insisted on making the drive). She hand makes her cards, which are the best! All the gifts tied in with the theme of turning 50, and each had multiple quotes attached to them. One of my favorites: “I’m not 50; I’m 49.95 plus tax.” I also wish I could have videotaped her presentation of the gifts. She has quite a flair for the dramatic, which is more than half the fun! We went out to dinner at a really fancy restaurant, treated by my parents. Not my usual style (and just a smidge of German guilt about the expense), but a friend convinced me I needed to go someplace really special, and I’m so glad she did. Oh, and my mom wrote me a poem!

It’s the thought that counts. My brother, Bill, overheard me say (although I was joking) that I wanted a Flash mob for my birthday this year. (I had just seen an episode of Modern Family in which there was a Flash mob scene and I loved the dancing!) My 20-year-old niece told me that she received an out-of-the-blue phone call from her dad asking her, “So what’s a Flash mob?” and “How could we make one of these happen for Barb?” I am so touched that my brother, who has insanely busy workdays, seriously thought about this and took the time to call my niece at college to try to fulfill my birthday wish.

To every thing there is a season. Here’s a bit of random weather trivia for you. Last year there was a blizzard (20 plus inches of snow) on my birthday. We were housebound for days. Yesterday the weather was  unseasonably warm, sixty  degrees, and sunny.  I took Lily and Larry for a long walk. I think they knew it was my birthday (or maybe they were just excited to get outside), because they had an extra bounce to their step.

“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be. -Robert Browning” I am so lucky to have the best husband in the world to celebrate with. Greg knows my favorite new artist is Kelly Rae Roberts, and he gave me a journal with her artwork that says “Fearless” on the cover (much too pretty to write in), as well as a large picture that says, “Tell Your Story.” How totally thoughtful and appropriate.

An extra special thank you to my self-compassion blogging friends for following me on this journey. Although I also write on Psychology Today and get thousands of “hits” for each post, this blog feels so much more personal.