Day Thirteen - My Last Day Being 43

Today was my last day of answering "43" if someone asked my age and I had to be truthful.

I hadn't thought much about it at all, when I passed this tree and it started me thinking about what a complex, involved, difficult, rough kind of a year it has been - and not just for me.

So, what did I learn as I sometimes danced, sometimes crawled and rarely slept through my 44th year on the planet?


I learned that...

*I look awful with longish hair. Truly awful.

*That people can appear to be very strong from the outside, and yet be struggling terribly on the inside. Never take for granted that someone in your life is "coping".

*You never know who a hero is going to be in a crisis.

*Photography and music are more than just hobbies for me, they feed my soul.

*I could never get bored with the scenery in New Zealand.

*That I am a person who does better with less on her plate. Some people really enjoy being flat out busy all the time, and there is a certain amount of social glamour attached to people who are always on the go. I however, do not thrive in a hectic environment. I thrive when I have time to creatively approach my work, and when I have time to "be" with my family. This means stepping away from many other commitments. Unfortunate, but necessary. I make no apologies.

*That Twitter is a bit like Wonderland, full of amazing things and people but it can be very dangerous too.

*Green toenail polish looks atrocious. Don't do it. Your toes look gangrenous.

*That the unusual shape of the tree with its anguished looking twists and angles, is what makes it interesting. And so too with people - it's the challenges in life that make us interesting.