Happy 39th Birthday to ME!!!

One week ago today, I turned 39… Wow… 39!!!  Y’all, just give me a minute to let that sink in…

Okay… I think I’m ready now…

*takes a deep breath*…

Here goes…

On my birthday, I decided I wanted to do something “different.”  Not different as in go somewhere different, or eat something different, or enjoy something different. This year, I wanted to think beyond the activities of just that day. That’s really been my story for these last 38 years… I would plan something just for the day to celebrate.  But this year, I wanted to do “different” in a new way.  I wanted to do something that would take me on a journey of self discovery for my entire 39th year.  Sooooooo… there you have it… that’s how I came to the decision to create this blog.

This forum is not just me sharing my thoughts with you… it’s also me reflecting and learning more about myself. Putting it all down in black & white for me (and the world, but more importantly ME) to see.  So, welcome to Donna’s Diary!!!  🙂  My own little special place of peace, love, and reflection.  My place of “deep breaths.”  Prayfully, this will be a calming sanctuary for me (and maybe you too).  So, I hope you will join me on my journey of discovery throughout my last year in my thirties leading right up to the big 4-0.

Since my very first blog is about me turning a year older, I was tempted to do the cliché birthday post of how life has turned out a lot different that I had once planned. You know the whole… I thought I would be married, with 2.5 kids, white picket fence, dog in the backyard, the perfect job, no family drama, no friend issues, still a size 3… yadda yadda yadda. But nope, this ain’t that type of birthday blog.  I think if you’ve lived a little, you already know that life usually doesn’t turn out as perfect as you had imagined it would when you were 8. LOL!  Life is complicated… full of ups and downs, good and bad, gains and losses, etc., etc.

Nope… Life damn sure ain’t perfect, but I’ve realized that “perfect” is boring!!!  So in my 39th year… I’m throwing “perfect” out the window.  I’m focusing on being 100% true to myself and walking (well, I’d much rather be skipping) in my truth.  🙂

What I’ve come to realize is that if I want to live a meaningful life, I need to be authentic and bold in my words and actions, without fear of judgment or failure.  This blog is a small first step of overcoming the boundaries I place on myself.  While preparing to start this blog, my mind kept telling me…

no one wants to read your personal, boring stories…

you know nothing about starting a blog or website…

you need to make this page look more aesthetically pleasing before sharing it with the world…

it’s not fancy like other blogs…

you’ll feel like a failure if no one views your posts…

BUT, I decided to HUSH up my brain (or better yet, start training it to think differently) and just decided… WHAT THE HELL!!!  I’m going to JUST DO IT!!!  So what it’s not perfect… (Epiphany: Remember Donna… you’re throwing “perfect” out the window in this your 39th year!)  My blog (like me) is a work-in-progress!  As I venture more and more into personal blogging, I’m confident that it will all start coming together.  But much more important than how it looks or sounds, I hope my words and transparency will encourage both myself and others.

Thanks for listening friends! XOXO

~Donna