Celebrating 50 with Gifts for Myself

Guess what? Today is my birthday! And in case you couldn’t tell by the headline, I’m turning 50. I officially have 50 years today, and I am so thrilled that I get to celebrate in Spain. But there’s no big party planned and I’m actually working today, but that doesn’t mean that my celebration isn’t going to be full of gratitude and grace.

Unlike previous years, I haven’t requested any special gifts from friends or family. And I haven’t been tempted to go buy myself something extravagant to mark the occasion either. Instead, after some real soul searching and reflection, I’ve decided to give myself a different type of gift for my birthday. I’m giving myself some things that I actually really need to begin this new season of life.

And those gifts are:

1. Gratitude

The first and most important gift I’m giving myself is gratitude. I am so grateful that one year ago today I made the decision to walk away from my life in the United States and move to Spain. That decision was so difficult to make, but once we made it, we persisted, and here I am on the precipice of a new life designed by me. For me. So, this morning, as I did my daily walk along the beach, I gave myself a big box of thank you and giggled like a school girl as I reflected on the possibilities and potential for joy available to me.

2. The Year of Yes

The second gift I’m giving to myself is an entire year of saying yes. Inspired by Shonda Rhimes, I decided that since moving to Spain was such a success, that I am going to continue in that vein of saying yes to what my spirt seeks. I’ve lived most of my adult life saying no to my creative spirit because my desires “weren’t practical,” or they seemed silly or even dangerous. Sometimes I didn’t say yes to me because I had to put the needs of my children or my husband first. I have no regrets about my choices, but I realize I’ve gotten into the habit of saying no so much, I’ve forgotten how to say yes to Lori. So, this year, I’m going to say yes, whenever possible, to my dreams  – both big and small – and I will see what comes out of this. Be warned, I do have some kooky dreams and ideas.

3. Travel

Like the rest of the world, we haven’t been traveling in the last two years because of the pandemic. Notwithstanding the fact that we moved to Spain, we have pretty much stayed in one place since we arrived here. We visited el esposo‘s family several times when we first arrived, but after their entire clan, parents, siblings, cousins etc all caught the virus, we’ve curtailed those trips as well. But last week, we took a simple day trip to Cordoba, a city I’ve never been to in Spain, and I felt like my spirit woke up from a long winter’s nap. I remembered how much I love exploring new places, sampling new foods, and just wandering around and discovering hidden treasures. It seriously was a balm to my creative soul. So, while I still won’t be out here partying in the streets, or eating at any indoor establishments;

I’m ready to see some world and feed my traveler’s spirit.

4. Patience and Acceptance

These are gifts I really need, but have a really hard time accepting. I want to do all the travel right now! But some of the places I want to go, still have travel embargoes. I want to say yes to writing six books, launching a new podcast, and starting a travel company, yesterday! I want to join a yoga studio and be able to stand on my head and do the splits tomorrow! See how my brain works? And that is why my most important gifts are these. As I revel in the opportunity to redesign my life and do all the things I’ve always wanted to do, I still have to remember not to wear myself out in the process and not get frustrated when things don’t happen all at once. I’m hoping this gift has a super long shelf life because I think I’m going to need patience and acceptance for a super long time.

But I’ll Have My Cake and Eat it Too

So, those are the gifts I’m giving to myself this birthday. I feel really fortunate that I am at a place in my life where I don’t need any material items, nor do I crave any. I honestly feel like I have everything I need and want to walk boldly and happily into the next 50 years. …But just in case you were wondering, el esposo is taking me out for lunch, and my mama is in the kitchen right now baking me a cake so my special day will definitely be sweet.

Happy Birthday to me!