{"id":1012,"date":"2019-02-19T00:09:46","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T00:09:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/?p=1012"},"modified":"2019-02-19T01:18:33","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T01:18:33","slug":"a-new-age-bracket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/?p=1012","title":{"rendered":"Savoring A New Age Bracket"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I recently celebrated my 45th birthday. Now, as a longtime friend reminded me, I will be checking the box of a different age bracket on surveys. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s unnerving and more than a little humbling to feel the swift passage of time, I can\u2019t help thinking of all the good that has come with officially being in my mid-forties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrating my birthday at Dos Caminos with (from left) my cousin Alexandra and dear friends Lisa R. and Lisa L.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The round numbered birthdays may receive more fanfare, but 45 has already proved to be equally deserving of it. Because even more so than previous ages, this one feels like a new chapter. Especially when comparing it to how I felt turning 40.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I\u2019ve said many times, the big 4-0 seemed like a blinking neon sign illuminating the things that didn\u2019t precede this milestone\u2014most significantly, marriage and motherhood. I know I\u2019m in good company when it comes to departing from the trajectory that women are still largely expected to follow. And yet, I found myself feeling less than those who\u2019ve taken a more traditional path, like I had failed in some way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flash forward to my cousin Alexandra\u2019s baby shower earlier this month. I sat a table where everyone except me had children. For the first time, I didn\u2019t mind being the anomaly. It struck me that having children isn\u2019t meant to be part of my journey and that\u2019s okay. I felt with every fiber of my being the absolute rightness of where I am in my life. I thought about how much I have to be thankful for \u2014 especially my beloved fur baby Benji, who fills my days with the unconditional love, joy and affection that make animals such magical creatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Birthday smooch with my little lovebug and, as I also call him, the best decision I\u2019ve ever made. \ud83d\ude42<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
I am finally experiencing what so many women have told me about the stronger sense of self that accompanies this decade. And no longer feeling the need to apologize or justify who you are, finally embracing that the only person you really need to be true to is yourself. I understand this in a way I couldn\u2019t have before facing some life-altering trials. Finding my way out of a crippling 18-month depression showed me that not only am I enough, but I can feel proud of each line etched on my face. Because I\u2019ve earned every single one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Age is more than just a number. It\u2019s a beautiful opportunity to celebrate how far you\u2019ve come \u2013 and, with the help of God, loved ones and a little determination \u2013 how much more you have to look forward to. After all, isn\u2019t that what being both older and wiser is all about?<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I recently celebrated my 45th birthday. Now, as a longtime friend reminded me, I will be checking the box of a different age bracket on surveys. While it\u2019s unnerving and more than a little humbling to feel the… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"New Blog Post: Why I love being in a new age bracket","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[181,95],"tags":[262,260,183,261],"class_list":["post-1012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adopting-a-pet","category-birthday-celebrations","tag-baby-showers","tag-fortysomething","tag-fur-baby","tag-turning-45"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"","source_text":"","source_url":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4J0fq-gk","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1012"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1026,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1012\/revisions\/1026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Celebrating my birthday at Dos Caminos with (from left) my cousin Alexandra and dear friends Lisa R. and Lisa L.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The round numbered birthdays may receive more fanfare, but 45 has already proved to be equally deserving of it. Because even more so than previous ages, this one feels like a new chapter. Especially when comparing it to how I felt turning 40.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I\u2019ve said many times, the big 4-0 seemed like a blinking neon sign illuminating the things that didn\u2019t precede this milestone\u2014most significantly, marriage and motherhood. I know I\u2019m in good company when it comes to departing from the trajectory that women are still largely expected to follow. And yet, I found myself feeling less than those who\u2019ve taken a more traditional path, like I had failed in some way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Flash forward to my cousin Alexandra\u2019s baby shower earlier this month. I sat a table where everyone except me had children. For the first time, I didn\u2019t mind being the anomaly. It struck me that having children isn\u2019t meant to be part of my journey and that\u2019s okay. I felt with every fiber of my being the absolute rightness of where I am in my life. I thought about how much I have to be thankful for \u2014 especially my beloved fur baby Benji, who fills my days with the unconditional love, joy and affection that make animals such magical creatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$
Birthday smooch with my little lovebug and, as I also call him, the best decision I\u2019ve ever made. \ud83d\ude42<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
I am finally experiencing what so many women have told me about the stronger sense of self that accompanies this decade. And no longer feeling the need to apologize or justify who you are, finally embracing that the only person you really need to be true to is yourself. I understand this in a way I couldn\u2019t have before facing some life-altering trials. Finding my way out of a crippling 18-month depression showed me that not only am I enough, but I can feel proud of each line etched on my face. Because I\u2019ve earned every single one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Age is more than just a number. It\u2019s a beautiful opportunity to celebrate how far you\u2019ve come \u2013 and, with the help of God, loved ones and a little determination \u2013 how much more you have to look forward to. After all, isn\u2019t that what being both older and wiser is all about?<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I recently celebrated my 45th birthday. Now, as a longtime friend reminded me, I will be checking the box of a different age bracket on surveys. While it\u2019s unnerving and more than a little humbling to feel the… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"New Blog Post: Why I love being in a new age bracket","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[181,95],"tags":[262,260,183,261],"class_list":["post-1012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adopting-a-pet","category-birthday-celebrations","tag-baby-showers","tag-fortysomething","tag-fur-baby","tag-turning-45"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"","source_text":"","source_url":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4J0fq-gk","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1012"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1026,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1012\/revisions\/1026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.newyorkcitygal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}