Birthday Month

Querida Amiga,

I am now 42 years old. Another lowkey birthday celebrated during a pandemic. The blessing of a slower pace and less contact with people means that I have gotten to the root of who I want to be with and where I want to be.

Last year I spent the first six weeks of sheltering in place alone in my apartment. Unsure of what covid was or how it would pass to others, I chose to stick it out alone. Then as the days got closer to my birthday, I knew I needed some love and human contact. I reunited with my immediate family for my birthday. My body and spirit were full from family meals, laughter, and hugs. There was no need for a party or big fanfare. I just needed to be with my people.

This year I was blessed to be fully vaccinated earlier in April, which gave me the comfort to start planning for a birthday a little farther from home (I’m still not ready for a plane trip). Since I am still working from home, I decided renting a house where I can be with my besties for a month was how I wanted to begin another year of life. I am coming to you from LA this month. I will have three besties with me on the regular as I thoughtfully move into another year of life. Again, I just need to be with my people.

One of them asked me at my birthday dinner, “What was a lesson learned in your 41st year of life?” I replied something along the lines of, “I am ready for the next phase of freedom in my life.”

I have spent the last 4-5 years of my life intentionally tapping into the freedom I need to be myself and then moving to action to bring those freedoms to life. I have been feeling a desire within myself to seek more. What that looks like I still do not know. Maybe renting this house and physically moving to a new location for a month is the first step to explore what my soul is truly wanting. What does freedom mean to me in this phase of my life?

As I listen to myself, hear what my soul is longing for, and start moving in the direction of that freedom, you will be the first to know what is evolving.

This is the part when we step into the unknown with a mixture of fear and excitement. Though the path is unclear and the destination is nowhere to be seen on the map, we can trust that the lessons learned on the journey are the reward just as much as the beauty in the final destination.

Quiero saber de ti. What does freedom look like in this phase of your life? What could a new level of freedom look like for you?

Un Abrazo, 

Michelle