Oct. 15, 2009

This week I hit the big ree-thay un-way. Too cryptic? It was my birthday and I’m rocking 31 this year.

I was sorting laundry on my big day and thinking about how being the birthday girl kind of makes me Super Queen of the Universe for 24 hours; you should see all the balloons and streamers and birthday signs my husband put up. My queenly state made me pause. Would the Super Queen of the Universe be doing laundry?
And that’s when it hit me: I don’t actually hate laundry.

There I was, on my birthday, free to do whatever I wanted (as long as my three kids could come along and it required no money and no effort, i.e., stay home), and I wanted to do a load of lights. That’s right, at 31 I can honestly say that I’m perfectly happy with my loads in life, so I’ll take that laundry pile, thank you very much.

Because so what if my body will never be what it was at 18? I am so much smarter and quicker and happier now than I was then. And I’ve decided that no matter what happens to my body and mind over the next 60 years, I’m going to love this ticking time bomb we call life.

(Okay, so I might not like the age-induced intestinal adventures, or the varicose veins, but I’m determined to handle them with humor and prescription medication.)

I thought about some of the things I’ve passed up in the last 10 years, all the should-have’s and what not, but I quickly realized that I am where I am right now because I didn’t take those chances. And frankly, I like where I am.

What’s the point of reaching back and trying to hold on to some part of life that’s done and gone? It’s like watching American Idol and regretting that you didn’t try out when you had the chance.

(Personally, I’ll never regret it, because I probably would have won. All that fame? Yuck. And yes, we all know vocal humility isn’t my strong suit.)

As far as music goes, I’m perfectly happy doing a short set each night in front of a very adoring and non-critical audience right before bedtime. Plus, I get at least three encores a night. Who can beat a gig like that?

I won’t lie; I do have a few regrets. I wish I had kept a better record of my college years, taken more pictures, written in a journal. I wish I had set better goals, and kept in touch with old friends and roommates. I wish I’d realized that at 24, I was still a baby and totally young enough to learn a foreign language.

But the best part about life is that you’re never too old to make a change. So this year I’ll keep a better record and take more pictures. I’ve got fresh goals, and just today I reconnected with an old friend from college. I know, bravo, right?

No matter how old you get, tomorrow is what you make of it, and I intend to make mine sparkle.

See more at Annie's blog at regardingannie.com