Reflections on 30

Can you hear the tick-tock of time disappearing?

I celebrated my 30th birthday yesterday. I'm not one to make a big fuss about birthdays but small celebrations with family make the day feel special. The Husband is convinced that the big 3-0 is a big deal. It called for an extravagant brunch and some shopping time. Later this winter he is taking me on a warm vacation. I'm really looking forward to it!

30 isn't a big deal for me. Never-the-less, I've been thinking a bit. I'm in the best shape of my life. I have less back pain than when I was younger. I'm in a happy, supportive marriage. I'm raising a beautiful boy, quite successfully so far. My mood is generally stable. I've learned to take better care of myself. My faith is growing.

The fact that I'm a well balanced, responsible adult does amaze me at times. Some of the choices I made when I was younger... some of the directions I could have gone.... it can scare me. And I'm thankful for the miracles of lessons learned and loving, praying people in my life. With God's continued gentle guidance, I can only hope for more of the same. More maturation. More blessings. More hard and easy lessons. More faith.

Thanks Mum and Dad for the wall clock. Symbolic perhaps?

Farmer's Feast

I really want to go to the Farmer's Feast this Wednesday but tickets are all sold out. It sounds just scrumptious. Does anybody out there have any in's? Can I win tickets somewhere??

Family Photos

Guess who is the liveliest person in the family...

Fish Tank Upgrade

I really like my fish tank. Honestly, it all started with a one gallon aquarium for a Beta fish and has now grown into a 70 G African cichlid paradise. I can spend endless amounts of time and money on this thing. I like making it beautiful.

The latest addition is this ship wreck, thoughtfully purchased for me by a friend. You know, the kind of friend you never quite feel that you deserve. (As if buying birthday gifts for me is a challenge...)

Heroes

I've been thinking a lot about Faron Hall. Twice in a short four month, he has pulled somebody from the Red River saving them from certain death. He has been called "Guardian Angel of the Red" and other hero-ly names.

How does society recognize one of their own who lives on the fringes? People who don't subscribe to societal norms, inhabit the street, and engage in behaviors and/or addictions that aren't popular? How do people make a hero out of someone who would rather stay invisible?

I wonder what it does to that person. He's afraid of falling off the pedestal he feels people have put him on, he says. Maybe he doesn't want to subscribe to our norms. Maybe he's happy the way he is. Maybe society puts strings on rewards for good behavior. I think maybe we do. Does that kind of pressure actually increase someone's chances of struggling? And having saved one person and not another, would that create a traumatic stress type of response? Would you have survivor's guilt if it had been you pulling one person out of the water and watching the other disappear?

I don't know. I'm just wondering.

House Update

It's finally coming together. Our house has turned from blue (styrofoam), to grey (scratch coat), to it's final yellow (stucco). The stone work is done. The decks are done, stairs included. Next on the agenda is floor replacement and landscaping.