My 47th birthday reflection

My party planner husband planned a really fun birthday party last Sat where all of us come together to art jam and celebrate my birthday.  All of us had a blast despite our ok painting skills.

At 47, I think I am having lesser years ahead of me.  Grateful for the past that has brought me to this day and grateful for the future that is shaped by both my past and present.

I’m naturally not a planner but lately been thinking of “what’s next” in my life. At the same time, I’ve started to appreciate the “now” times I’m able to spend with my family and my friends.  As I cruise thru my late 40s, I begin to realize…

No one else is a worse critic of you than you.

Don’t obsess over what you don’t have, what you can’t do. Everyone has their own Kryptonite.  Last year had been a burnt-out year for me which made it tempting to dwell on my shortcomings and feeling depressed.   I overcome that by focusing completely on someone else and celebrating their success.

Trying to hang with the cool kids is a zero-sum game.

In my younger years or even sometime now, I tried to reach out to the cool kids but only to realised that everything was just a façade.

People try to feel more important by thinking some other successful person’s sparkle will rub off and meanwhile, the person who is all sparkly secretly wonders if anyone would notice their social media posts.

While I am trying to teach my kids to be themselves, it also acted as a reminder to myself that I should be myself. 

These days, I chase after intimacy and genuine friendship. A true friend encourages you, celebrates your success, and cheers you on.  They want more for you; not from you.   I am extremely blessed to have such people in my life, more than I deserve. To me, they are the true “cool kids.”  I am very lucky that my cool kids make time for me, no questions ask.

Cherish your family

My husband is my anchor. He is my lighthouse.  So I can sail smoothly in the rough sea.  I’ve noticed something over the years especially in the first 2 years of my home baking when I have about 3 hours of sleep on average.  I was often tired and angry.  My family suffered the most.  I was disconnected from them.

I learned and evaluated my life goals.  At the same time, I realize that I have to take a break every once in a while and connect with my family. I can’t stress enough how important this is.

The break rejuvenates me and reminds me of the reason for pursuing home baking cos it gives me the freedom to enjoy time spent with my family and guide my kids in their growing-up years. I have learnt to step away from the kitchen to reconnect with people I love.

Just a little reflection on my 47^th birthday.  I hope to have many more birthdays ahead of me =) 

PS: I was baking on my birthday becos I forgot to block off my orders.  Nonetheless, I was still happy to bake and I realised that one of my customers were having my ZERO sugar rolls as her birthday cake - completely made my birthday !