Today, October 5th, I hit Level 43, y’all!! I’ve collected soooooo many experience points to reach this level.

Last night, at a lovely birthday dinner, the waiter kindly and jokingly wished me “Happy 29^th birthday”. Without missing a beat, I responded with “Oh no, I’m very happy to be at Level 43!!” 

And it really is how I feel. I don’t want to go back to being 29. Or 30. Or 35. Or even 42.

I am obscenely, obsessively, ridiculously proud of this Level 43 woman.

And it gets better every year.

Because life is really just one big video game anyway (my nerd is showing, loud and proud).

It’s not about the level I’m playing, it’s about my character. The inner strength she’s developed. The peace she’s found. The lightness in the midst of darkness. 

It doesn’t mean life is always sunshine and rose petals and bunny farts.

It does mean that no matter what happens around me, I deeply know that I get to CHOOSE how I perceive what’s happening. 

I get to CHOOSE who I am in those moments. I get to CHOOSE “who I be”.

And I choose to perceive that age is really just an arbitrary number, and a social script about age doesn’t get to dictate how I think and feel about myself. I do that.

And I absolutely fucking choose to celebrate the hell out of myself, today and every damn day. 

Don’t wait on anyone else to do it for you.

And don’t you dare worry about what anyone else thinks about you when you’re fully embodied in being YOU

…and yes, I’m rocking this birthday tiara all damn day.

BECAUSE I MADE IT TO LEVEL 43!!!

Sparkle on…