Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday. Yea! I have no special plans but I am still excited. I think a little retail therapy is in order. Yea, that would be a good start. For me, no birthday is complete without an ice cream cake from one of my favorite places, Baskin-Robbins. YUM! Can't wait!

I was born in Detroit at a time when riots were occurring and my parents were not allowed to install a telephone. They had no car either. Yep, I arrived in the midst of craziness. My mother really was praying that I'd be born on June 7th. Had I been obedient, I would have shared a birthday with my grandmother, aunt Ruby, and cousin Gwen. Have you noticed that June 7th is a very popular birth date? Some of my favorite folks were born then such as Prince and L.A. Reid, and Nikki Giovanni. Ahh but if you have kept up with my blogs, you know that I am my own person and I hate following the rules. So I share my illustrious birthday with Anderson Cooper and Josephine Baker.

I am enjoying my 40s. Life really does begin then. I am pretty happy with who I am. I have had great life experiences and I feel confident with who I have become. I have learned to tone down my opinions but I still can't always control my facial expressions. I am working on it! As far as my friends are concerned, I must say that I have a diverse group of friends who are living all over the place and doing all sorts of things. I am thankful for all the places that I have lived because each location has provided me with great people whom I will forever cherish. I love meeting people and I think I have some great friendships as a result of being open to new places and things.

My life has had its share of ups and downs but I would never trade my experiences for anything. I have gained wisdom and insight from every situation. I remain committed to being a Christian and having a relationship with Christ. I am open to new experiences. I realize that life is pretty simple in a complex way. You are the sum of your experiences so you should have as many of them as possible. Fear will hold you back but faith will open doors. People come and go and there really are some seasons that simply must end. Life is meant to be embraced and lived to the fullest. None of us were issued a manual on how to do life and God didn't promise us that living would be easy. What makes all the difference in the world is how you view it. Each day you get to choose. Hopefully, you choose the positive but even if you don't, tomorrow is another day to get up and try it all again. We are all works in progress.

So enough of me and my view on life. I got a Diva Dialogue coming up because I have random thoughts rolling around my mind and you know they are dying to be shared. LOL! The best gift for me is peace. Now that's not to say that I wouldn't like a whole lot of money....but peace of mind is very important. God probably knows I might not be ready to handle a great deal of money so I will wait...Hehehe! Another great gift is simply having the love of family(and friends) who support, encourage, and pray for me. God has blessed me abundantly! Note, I did NOT say materially(although I probably have plenty). For that, I am grateful. I am pleased that I am sane and healthy and so are those near and dear to me. I have pretty much everything I need and most of what I want. I am not what I want to be but I am not who I used to be either. I am constantly changing and evolving. I want to inspire you to be the best you that you can be. Define yourself and your legacy. Don't let others impose their woulda, shoulda, couldas on you. They got one life to live and if they are doing that right, they have no room to impose their agenda on yours. That said, it is now time to celebrate me! Happy birthday to me! Peace and love to you all. Till next time, God willing, we will chat again!

Copyright June 3, 2010 by Pamela Cole Thorpe