The View From 36

Ahhh. 36 years old. Isn't the view just gorgeous? It's an amazing perspective from up/down here, depending on which way you're pointing that bill of yours.

The aging process marks time of year unique to each of us when we get to contemplate the fuzz in our navels. Mine's red, I think. So I'm excited to share that this year, the cake part of my cake (not the frosting) is red. Food coloring- it's not only just for adding joy to your child's world anymore.

To celebrate my birthday, David and I took a paddle boat and a picnic lunch to Lake Chabot (hence the geese photos). Though the Bay Area doesn't have anything even remotely like an Alpine setting or crystal blue lakes, I was at least trying to compare the bounties here at home to our recent travels. Nice, but no comparison really.

I've really started noticing people's children a lot more this year. You know, the ones that last I checked were babies. They're weeds growing up to fill shoes and jean jackets and actually hit waist level. Those that are now teenagers, I can't always follow their references to pop or subcultural phenomena- and I'm totally uninterested in trying to (sigh of relief for having my 20s in the past). It's liberating really.

I am enjoying Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert who wrote the book when she was 36. I can't endorse this book enough!

To everyone reading who has ever been 36, and especially to those of you 1971 babies who have had their birthdays this year- I invite your comments to this post to share what your 36th year was like. Please do include a link to your blog or other post about it in your response- this is an invitation to share your 36-year mark. Photos, poetry, rants and prophesies welcome.