Wednesday is my birthday. I’ve been asked if that bothers me. Bothers me!? Heck no! The only thing that bothers me is that some folks consider having a birthday is a source of stress. But I know it is for many people. It used to be a concern for people who crossed the 40 line, but now I hear it from people much younger than that. In our botox+ world, everyone is chasing youth.

You can have work done to change your appearance but you can’t change your age. You can lie about it. Or deny it. But you still know how old you are. Why let it eat you up or bring you down? I’ve accepted that I’m still me, no matter what age I am. And if folks judge me for being that age, then they don’t really know me at all.

As the percentage of older Americans increases, we’ve become a society that worships youth. Who you are becomes much less relevant than how old you are, or look. Unless YOU make yourself relevant, no matter what your age. I’ve learned to value who I am. I do take good care of me so my skin is in good shape. I run 3-5 days in Central Park, and do weight training, to maintain my physical fitness. But looking younger is secondary to being as healthy and fit as I can be—for me!

In honor of the birthday I’ll be celebrating with gusto, I’ll post every day about getting older. Birthdays aren’t another step closer to doom and gloom. You’re still the same person you were right before it. Maybe a little wiser if you’re lucky. So relax and celebrate you.

Every year I celebrate ME on September 19th. And I celebrate accepting ME at any age. Of course it would be nice to freeze time so I could have the energy of my teens and less of the little aches and pains that happen as you get older. But I accept that I can’t and live from there! Birthdays aren’t a slow death sentence. They’re a celebration!

So this Wednesday I’ll be at the Telephone Bar in NYC where I go every year to celebrate my self-acceptance. Friend with good energy, who I care about, join me. I look forward to it with joy, not dread. Birthdays are so much fun if you allow them to be. I call the shots, use it as an excuse for getting my way, ? and to indulge myself. Stay tuned for more incentives to age with joy!

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