A Brief Reflection On My Approaching Birthday

Well tomorrow I reach the ripe.. perhaps some would say over ripe... age of 47. Now, going by my experience of reaching 44, 45 & 46, I doubt being 47 will have any significant impact on my life and, more importantly, how I feel about my life. I still feel I'm 19 despite my daughters' ages, my body, my responsibilities and my lifestyle strongly being at odds with  that statement! Well phooey to all those because I live in my brain...how anyone can live anywhere else I'll never know...and my brain is a lissome, lithe, bubbly, active, optimistic and effervescent 19!

Despite the slings and arrows, and there has been a veritable torrent of those in the last few years, I still hope, if not totally believe, that there are adventures still to be had and good times to be enjoyed. A visit from Julie, a friend I've known for the best part of 40years, fanned those flames and her positive take on life...it's trials and tribulations..not only mirrored my own but enhanced them :-)

My life is pretty much the bog standard life of a middle aged woman but the people in my life are far from bog-standard! I have my lovely 3 daughters, Natalie, Candace & Yasmin who are simply the best and I have my Dad who, along with my  darling Mum who died in June, reminds and reinforces for me what a truly good human being should be :-) Beyond this, I am lucky to have other family and friends (online friends included!)who are supportive, interesting, funny, bloody minded, provocative, controversial, unique and kind...all qualities necessary to ensure a rich circle of companionship.

Approximately two years ago,  I was in Raigmore Hospital after suffering what was termed as a 'significant,brain injury'....basically I had Cerebritis...a brain inflammation caused by an unknown pathogen/toxin which resulted in me losing the power of speech, having visual disturbances and acute confusion. Actually, considering at first the medics thought I'd had a brain haemorrhage/stroke, this was the lesser of 3 evils! Two weeks in hospital, IV antibiotics and more MRIs and CTscans than I care to remember...(well actually than I CAN remember as memory, or rather its loss, is the one of the two lasting deficiencies I've been left with) I was discharged with speech, vision and mental state back to normal...well as normal as it ever was....I hear you Julie! ;-)
Apart from a small impairment in my memory and the inability to concentrate on anything for too long, I've made a full recovery and, when I think what could've been, I'm obviously very grateful :-)

So tomorrow I will have my birthday...and enjoy it...and not moan about my age and wish I was younger or that my presents/celebrations were bigger, better, whatever....I will be glad of the people who will be around tomorrow and think fondly of those who are not and wish all my FB/Blogger friends a happy, sunny, peaceful Wednesday :-)