It's My Birthday!! 67 Years Baby!

Hello, Everyone!

Today is my 67th birthday! I can’t believe it! I love birthdays and I always enjoy celebrating mine. Every year, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to be who I am and where I am in life.

I'd like to ask you all a question: How do you feel about your birthday? For many people, it's a day filled with excitement, laughter, and joy—a day to bask in the warmth of "Happy Birthday" songs and indulge in your favorite desserts. For others, it's a day they'd prefer to skip—a reminder of another year passing by, marked by a fear of getting older. I still run into women who will not tell anyone their age, and to some extent, I understand. 

Regardless of how you perceive your birthday, I invite you to take age out of the equation and focus on how you feel inside your body. Reflect on how far you've come over the past 365 days. As I celebrate my 67th birthday today, I can't help but feel a sense of reward and privilege. It's a privilege to turn 67 while being strong and healthy. I recognize that not everyone gets to live 67 years (I have outlived both of my parents, two of my siblings, and both of my partners), and for that alone, I’m immensely grateful. But for me, it's never really been about the number. 

Age has always been just a marker, a point on a timeline. Instead, I choose to celebrate the time I've spent living—taking stock of the changes, the victories, the milestones, and the personal growth over the past year. I'm also eagerly looking ahead to what the future holds. As I turn 67, I contemplate what lies beyond this horizon. I ask myself: Where do I want to be? What goals do I want to accomplish this year? How do I want to feel?

I encourage all of you to ponder these questions, too. Birthdays are not just about marking time but about embracing the journey. With each passing year, you get to choose whether it signifies the end of your prime or the beginning of your most remarkable era. I wholeheartedly choose the latter, and I hope you do too, because each trip around the sun is a gift that brings new beginnings.

While none of us can predict the future, I believe it's essential to expect delight in the days ahead. Challenges will surely come our way, but so will moments of sheer delight.

If today is your birthday too, I’m sending you my fondest wishes. If you have a birthday coming up, I hope you will take some time (even 15 minutes) to reflect on the last year and jot down a few things you’re grateful for in a journal. Whether it’s a memory, an experience, an opportunity, or a newfound friend, there’s always something we can be grateful for, and writing it down lets it all sink in. 

As I celebrate another year, I want to wish all of you a wonderful week ahead. I'm looking forward to a fantastic birthday (with friends and lots of ice cream, cake and wine—my three favorite indulgences), and I hope you find joy in your days as well.

Xo

Renata