I turned a year younger yesterday, another lap around the sun.
I collected a new set of stories and lessons, laugh lines, quiet victories,
and those small moments that made me stop and say,
“This is what life’s about.”

I grew up on Tetris.
It taught me that not everything needs to fit in,
sometimes it’s better to stand out.

I believe there are two kinds of people in this world:
those who dance naked in the house,
and those who haven’t discovered that joy yet.

I collect grey hairs like they’re limited edition.
Each one is my body’s way of highlighting important life lessons,
silver confetti from all the wisdom I’ve survived.

My heart is still the size of a fist,
but now it knows how to hold itself gently.

I’ve never been in the army,
but I’ve fought quiet battles with my doubts,
and I’ve learned that courage isn’t loud
it’s steady.

Some nights, I fall asleep mid-thought.
Some mornings, I wake up with ideas
that make me want to run to my notebook laptop.

I’ve learned that happiness is not a helium balloon to chase,
it’s a garden you chose to water every day.

I believe every laugh line is an autobiography,
and mine are becoming some of my favorite chapters.

I want to be seen not for my face,
not for my titles, not for what I own or what I’ve done,
but for the way I make people feel lighter after we speak.

I’m still flawed, still learning,
but now I know the value of slow growth,
and the joy in not needing to compare.

I see the world with more patience,
I speak with more care,
and I hope my words land softly where they need to.

I feel more secure, more content, and more at peace
than I ever have before in my life, happy with where I am,
and grateful for the journey that brought me here.

I know my Maker loves me without condition,
and keeps giving me work worth doing,
people worth loving,
and dreams worth chasing.

I’m not done not even close.
I’m just in the middle chapters,
the good part where the story gets interesting.

Grateful for what’s been.
Hopeful for what’s next.
And quietly excited to see
who I’ll become from here.