Fifty

"We live so many lifetimes in one lifetime.

Dreams shift, reality transforms, and emotional resiliency sees us through." 

-me, Woman on the Verge of Paradise

It's a strange time. I feel like I've split into two selves: one, a woman who acts adult-ish; and two, a little girl who waits to be given a grape lollipop or homemade chocolate chip cookie. I mean, I'm always trying to evolve into a better person, but I still feel like that little girl. And I often act like one. Plus when I look in the mirror, I see one (that is, when I remove my bifocals, shut off the lights, and play "Let's Pretend"). So it's extra weird to have recently turned a corner to...50. Yikes. That's one-half of one-hundred. It's a biggie. I'd choose denial, but that's unlike me. Plus, why ignore a good reason for chocolate cake?

So I playfully welcomed my fifth decade with help from some special people. For one, there's Bernie. He's so thoughtful. He bought my birthday cake, as proven by the yellow icing. See:

My good friend Lara gifted me with Bernie socks too, and she flew in from Oregon to help me celebrate. Lara mentioned a Pin the Kiss on Donny Osmond game she played as a wee child. Naturally, I spun the idea into something much more mature...

Sadly, my kiss touched-down closer to Cruz (Yuck!) than Bernie. Note that nobody landed near Martha Stewart's mouth. The Trump-Rosie combo got a lot of action, however. And, well, Bernie's nether regions did alright too. Carly reaped a nearly direct smooch, but Taylor Swift had no luck.

All in all, it was a sweet start to the big 5-0 thanks to good friends and my Bernie.

Take good care, and please drop by. I'll feed you yummy leftovers. I'll also blindfold you and see where your kiss lands.

Whatever life tosses you, keep faith that emotional resiliency will see you through.