Family Photos: My 32nd Birthday!

To paraphrase Taylor Swift, I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 32…

Yes, friends, I celebrated my grand birthday yesterday, which, as you know, is one of my favorite days of the entire year! Just like in years past, I celebrated in style (literally, since I wore one of my classic polo shirts…), and my trusty new smartphone was there to capture all the magic and adventure…

The weekend kicked off with the delivery of our new washer. The verdict: My mom’s in love. A deep and passionate in love. She gets giddy every time she puts in a new load.

I started off my actual birthday with a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, my new favorite cereal…

 It was such a beautiful summer day, so we picked up Panera and headed to a local park…

We enjoyed a picnic, surrounded by tall trees and greener-than-green grass. And speaking of my birthday food, what did I choose for my dessert??

A Dairy Queen Blizzard…Reese’s flavor, to be exact. It was the perfect blend of creamy vanilla ice cream and rich chocolate. And yes, I’m now craving another one after just typing that last sentence!

And we finished off the day with an evening game of Bananagrams, which I won… ;)

Thank you for all the wonderful Facebook messages, tweets and general loveliness! All in all, I can’t say that 32 feels all that different from 31…yet. I’m excited about what the next year will bring, and I’m so happy you’ll be joining me on this wild adventure, friends!! xoxo

In The Pursuit of Happiness: Susan Sarandon on aging

We’ve mused about our favorite age before, and I’m eagerly (and a bit nervously…) anticipating turning the big 3-2 in August. So often, we hear stories from people — both men and women — who are deathly afraid of aging and will try everything from Botox to invasive plastic surgery to recapture the fountain of youth. The lesson? Aging is something to be feared. It should be avoided at all costs.

So, it was refreshing to read a recent interview with actress Susan Sarandon in this week’s USA Weekend. The 66-year-old, who stars in the new film The Big Wedding, says the best age is definitely well into your 30s…

“It has to be post-30, because you spend your 20s trying to figure out who you are and what your voice is. I was hitting my stride in my 40s. My 60s haven’t been too bad.”

Thank you, Ms. Sarandon! It’s so nice to hear from someone who is so beautifully embracing their age. Isn’t she inspiring? Who else do you admire for aging gracefully? What have they taught you, friends? xoxo

In The Pursuit of Happiness: Elsa’s story

First of all, I want to
express my gratitude to Melissa. I’ve been worshipping her writing, values and
soul for a long time now. So, the moment I read about this In The Pursuit of Happiness series, I reached out to her immediately, asking for consideration. Thanks,
Melissa, for letting me be a part of this wonderful series.


In The
Pursuit Of Happiness. Five
words. A universe of meanings. Let me get started by defining what happiness means to me. Happiness is the
peace of mind achieved once the war is over: the war between what I
am and what I am not; the war between what happened and what could have
happened; the war between my victories and my mistakes; the war between what I
did and what I did not do.

I started feeling that
peace of mind the moment I turned 30 — that was four years ago. It’s still a
work in progress. How did I get to that
point? I guess that there are some key factors — especially surrounding yourself with positive people who love you, karma and faith — but at the end of the day, and
to quote my beloved Diane Von
Furstenberg, it’s all about the
relationship you have with yourself. You have to find your own spiritual tools to deal with your feelings and especially
with pain and uncertainness — which are usually considered the
biggest enemies of happiness.

Paradoxically, looking
back, I now see how pain and uncertainness have played a pivotal
role in paving my way to the peace of
mind I currently have.


Layoffs, broken hearts,
hospital times, bad friends, betrayals…all these events sparked the inner war I
mentioned above. I cried and prayed and felt sorry for myself. I hated people.
It did hurt so much. Did I say I cried?

But it gets to a point
where you start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Hard work pays off,
things get better in general and more importantly, life gives you the answers you were looking for. You
finally comprehend that there has always been ‘a master plan.’

At that moment, I became
strong enough to make an analysis of what my life has been. That’s a major
breaking point in the whole process: the moment I allow myself to learn about my acts, my
silences, my mistakes, my words…It’s such an invigorating process! The more I learn, the more I understand,
forgive and love myself and others. It’s like the ‘happiness pipe‘ gets unclogged, and I allow myself to enjoy a pretty happy existence.
 

As I said, it’s still a
work in progress. I have so much to learn and to live. But going through the
process and understanding how it works makes me feel safe, strong, grateful
and HAPPY.

–By Elsa from Cafe Society XXI

P.S. How do you pursue your happiness, friends? I’d love to hear your story, so feel free to send them to mellow1422 (at) aol (dot) com!

[Bottom photos via Le Love]

Love Lounge: What’s your happiest age?

When I turned 25, I remember getting this sinking feeling in my stomach. It was the first year I remember ever looking at my birthday as a bittersweet thing. I was no longer in my early twenties, but still young enough to avoid the late twenties label. I couldn’t help but feel like I was having an identity crisis of sorts. I spent the next five years getting that sinking feeling again each time my birthday would come around; it was a constant reminder that I was getting older. Older. I didn’t like that word very much.

And then? Well, a surprising, funny, sort-of-miraculous thing happened: I turned 30. Instead of being horrified that I was no longer even in my twenties, I suddenly felt free. Amazing even. It was like all my age hang-ups and fears and bugaboos just vanished. In their place was a self-confidence and self-assurance that, before I knew it, made my 30th year my happiest yet.
And lucky for me, it looks like things are just going to get better and better from here. In a survey by U.K. site Friends Reunited, 70% of respondents over the age of 40 said they did not find true happiness until they were 33 years old.

“The age of 33 is enough time to have shaken off childhood naivety and the wild scheming of teenaged years without losing the energy and enthusiasm of youth,” says psychologist Donna Dawson. “By this age, innocence has been lost, but our sense of reality is mixed with a strong sense of hope, a “can do” spirit and a healthy belief in our own talents and abilities. We have yet to develop the cynicism and world-weariness that comes with later years.”

How fascinating! Who would have guessed that the best is yet to come? What’s been your happiest age so far, friends? What made it so happy and fulfilling? What age are you really looking forward to? Is there an age you’re dreading? xoxo

P.S. More age-themed posts.

[Photos via Le Love]