It is only the beginning...

Of course it's easy to feel fabulously happy on a day when dozens of friends send you birthday wishes via Facebook, your daughter makes you breakfast in bed, your sister sings to you before you've even gotten up, and one of your very best friends treats you to lunch.  Still, one of my major goals for my new life as a forty-something was tested right off the bat today: learning patience.  A vehicle on the highway this morning was traveling not-quite-fast-enough in the passing lane, and when the driver sped up just as I swung back into the right lane to pass on the other side, I called him (or was it a her?  I didn't pay attention) an asshole.  Dang it!  But then I laughed -- so that HAS to count as making an improvement to my life, right?  Otherwise I would've just continued cursing him - or at least lecturing him (because we all know that drivers of other cars hear us just as well as characters on television do - they just choose not to heed our frustrated reprimands).  But since that involves a negative, generally, I guess it can't count as what I did to make today special, though.  *SIGH*

Instead, I actually did several small yet intentional things today that all added up to me feeling like maybe - finally! - I'm on the right track for once.
1) I picked up the baby's toys before I left for school, thus insuring I didn't groan when I got home and saw the mess. 
2) I commented back on every single post made on my Facebook page, thus truly indulging in the joy of receiving such sweet sentiments and appreciating how many wonderful friends I have - and of course playing with every way to say, "Thank you!" I could possibly think of.  (It's a fun new game. I swear!)
3) I made sure I walked into the classroom with positive energy and conveyed encouragement to my students for the papers they're about to write, even though I fear they'll totally suck.  (This is based on past experience.  They generally DO suck on the first draft.  But at least I'm optimistic that they might not suck AS BADLY this time! And of course that's why I make them do revisions.)
4) I returned a phone call to a friend right away.  (Yes - this should be the norm.  But I'm TERRIBLE at returning calls.  I still haven't gotten a hold of the Health Department to schedule my son's next shot appointment, and the nurse left a message a WEEK ago.)
5) I enthusiastically thanked my parents and daughter for their extremely unenthusiastic rendition of the "Happy Birthday" song with which they lamely serenaded me as I entered my parents' house after work.  (Since all my mother has to do is breathe in order to irritate me, this IS a big deal.  I'm not usually very nice in response, I hate to admit.)
6) I'm going to cuddle on the couch with my daughter and watch a movie right now instead of staying on the computer wasting time or trying to get work done that CAN wait until tomorrow because if there's one thing I want to do more than anything else to be a better person, it's to be a great mom to my totally deserving kids.
7) And, later, I'm going to go to my exercise and dance classes and put extra effort into every move and laugh and shake my tushy and just generally enjoy how flexible and energetic this forty-year-old body still feels.

But for now, it's movie time.

Not a bad way to spend my 40th, I'd have to say. :o)