Life

With all my bellyaching about the chaos of my birthday, I neglected to mention the beautiful new life born over Easter weekend. Jackie and Shadow welcomed two baby eaglets, and I was lucky enough to tune in and watch them emerge. If you haven’t been following their daily life, now is a perfect time to start.

I was also reminded just how precious life is after learning that a childhood friend passed away on Easter Sunday after battling cancer. It puts everything into perspective. Broken dishwashers, backhoes, and all the little daily frustrations, if we’re lucky, those are the only things we have to complain about. And how fortunate am I to call those my “problems”?

The weekend flew by, and before I knew it, I was back to my weekday routine, adding my Mahjong teaching class at the end of the day. Jess came along to help, and afterward she told me how difficult she thought teaching was… although she really did a great job. I, on the other hand, find it incredibly fun and rewarding,  meeting new people, sharing knowledge, and watching the smiles and pride as they begin to understand the game.

It’s also completely absorbing, which gives my brain a rare chance to rest. Usually I have a dozen mental tabs open at once, but while teaching, I’m single-focused. It’s as close to meditating as I’ll ever get, and honestly, my brain needed that reset.

As for my birthday, I treated myself to a beautiful pair of gold hoop earrings, happy birthday to me, and I’m looking forward to a much-needed date night with Tim this weekend. Time alone, together with no focus but each other.

In the end, it all circles back to gratitude. For health, for love, for new beginnings, and even for the small, silly troubles that remind us just how fortunate we are. Here’s to holding space for it all, the joy, the grief, and the quiet, everyday moments in between. 

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive.” ~ Marcus Aurelius