On Sunday, I received a much-needed birthday gift: An attitude adjustment.
It arrived as an email from a friend who helped me celebrate the big 3-3 the night before with four mojitos and a shot of cinnamon-flavored whiskey.
Normally, I would have wanted to talk through her advice face-to-face the next morning, but I had more pressing things to deal with. Like a hangover.
“You know how you know that you’re a real adult?” I asked. “When you’re able to eat solid foods the day after your birthday.”
“Not necessarily!” she said.
But I disagree. I would consider it a sign of progress if my birthday did not involve coming home with two pairs of mystery sunglasses and someone else’s credit card in my purse. It would have been a win to have removed my keys cleanly from my apartment door and not poured my kitchen counter a glass of water before heading off to bed.
And it would have been a sweet victory to skip my mojito-fueled meltdown about the stagnation of my life on a dance floor of a bar called No Fun – which up until that moment had been extraordinarily great fun.
All this is to say that my Saturday evening took a left turn sometime after midnight, which is why it was so nice to have a pep talk waiting for me the next day evening.
“One’s talents, discipline, and drive can be in service to personal goals as much as they have been to an organization,” my friend wrote. “Why aren’t you worthy of facilitating your own mission and success?”
Excellent question. I certainly am worthy, as are we all. And that is what I’ll be doing this coming year.
Right after I shake this hangover.