40 for 40

Yesterday, Lester gave me the most amazingly touching gift.

He wrote me a letter (on actual paper) all about milestones and how important they are in our lives. And at the end of the note, he said that today marks the 40th day before my 40th birthday. To mark this milestone, he said I'll be receiving 40 things - some gifts, some notes, some messages from friends and loved ones, some things I can't predict -- all the way up until I turn 40 on June 11.

What a wonderful, wonderful gift. I don't even have to see what the 40 things are. Just the thought that he put such a thing together makes me feel overwhelmingly blessed, lucky and emotional to have him as a life partner and friend.

But, truthfully, his letter caught me off guard a bit. I hadn't really been thinking about what it means to turn 40. I have been so focused on planning the boys' party next week, and taking care of sick babies, I honestly haven't thought about my birthday -- this milestone, as he put it -- at all.   

What do I want for myself as I turn 40? What does this milestone mean to me?

I honestly don't know the answer to those questions, but Lester's letter (and love) has inspired me to think about it, and to come up with my own 40 for 40 of sorts.

I'm going to try to think of 40 things -- maybe they'll be goals; maybe they'll be activities; maybe they'll be lessons I've learned or people I want to thank; maybe they'll just be songs I want to hear that day or books I want to read. I don't know what they're going to be yet.

But one thing I do know after living on this earth 40 days shy of 40 years is that I have to live my life purposefully. I have to have goals, lists, calendars, events planned, dreams to aim for and a plan to make them come true. I don't want my life to just "happen" to me. I want to live my life to the fullest.

I think I'll start today.