three six.

i turn thirty-six today. and you know what? i'm pretty stoked about it -- really, i am. a friend asked me the other day how i feel about turning a year older, and i had nothing bad to say.

i used to be traumatized about getting older. more wrinkles, less hair, slower metabolism -- i guess i'm pretty vain. but it was more than that for me. each year meant i was sometimes farther from where i was, or not close enough to where i wanted to be. i was either stuck in thinking "if i only knew this when i was younger", or "when i'm X, i'll be able to do Y".

but when i turned 35, it finally hit me. i learned the value of being truly present, of living in the moment, experiencing the now, feeling the rain drops on my head, the warmth of the sun during a late august sunset, or the rush of experiencing the perfect patch of powder when i'm on my snowboard.

i really do have a lot of things to be thankful for. i have a family that loves me, a career that challenges me and i have built a wonderful home for myself. i have the opportunity to travel and learn about the world (and myself) by experiencing other cultures and different ways of living. i can run and jump, and express myself through dance. i have friends that reinforce and support me for who i am, challenge me to be a better person, and that let me be the most authentic me.

i turn thirty-six today. i don't know everything, but i do know that i'm finally getting it. and even though i know that things are only going to get better, the view is pretty fantastic from where i am, right here from where i'm standing.

i'm here, and i'm ready.