Today I mark my 39th birthday. My mood is ambivalent. I feel as if a strange sadness is setting in. This is partly because it will be the last year I can say I am a “thirty something.” It is the passage of time that wreaks havoc on my senses and gut.  And this past year, I’ve internalized and reflected on time and its tricks and how I don’t always understand its power.  Time alternated as a threat and a beacon of healing.

As I grow older, there is a maxim I am learning to accept. That each day is filled with the grandeur of the pendulum. We are all experiencing various emotions, ranging from happiness, anger, sadness, and peace. When and where and how that pendulum will swing is something that will always remain mystery. The certainty lies in how we carve our reactions.

Onward I say. The choice is mine and yours.