I have to say, though, I'm feeling pretty good about this next decade. When my friend asked me about my weekend on Tuesday morning, I happily told her about how much I enjoyed spending it with my extended family, and about the screen printing I was able to do. It wasn't until about five minutes later that I even remembered to mention a little health problem that had crept up during the same weekend. (Yeah, I get to spend the morning of my birthday having an ultrasound of my leg just to make sure I don't have a DVT, or deep venous thrombosis -- I'm pretty sure it's only a superficial clot.)
Overall, I feel really lucky. I have a wonderful and supportive family. I have friends who will watch my kids in a pinch (and at a moment's notice), and who will listen patiently as I ramble on about my next crafty idea. I live in a community I love. And, for the most part, I am doing what I want to do right now. I've sold a couple of items from my shop to actual strangers (as opposed to friends or relatives!). And in the last two weeks, I've started preparing for my first big (really cool!) craft fair -- Constructor. Even better, if Constructor's motto is accurate, then I'm officially a "bad-ass crafter." Wow! Who says you can't be 40 and bad-ass?!
The same friend who asked me about my weekend gave me some words of wisdom regarding this momentous birthday of mine. She said our thirties are the "decade of children", while our forties are the "decade of ME." I know this varies widely for individuals, depending on when, or if, each of us has chosen to start a family. For me it is mostly true. And I think it's an idea I can embrace.
