¡Ombligo!

Today is my 29th birthday, last night I found this cool site:

Things Other People Accomplished When They Were Your Age.

At age 29:

The Buddha decided to renounce the world and abandon family and possessions. Seven years later, he realized this brought him no closer to the wisdom he sought.

Scottish-born inventor Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first complete sentence by telephone.

Agatha Christie, the most translated writer in the world, published her first book.

Michael Faraday demonstrated electromagnetic rotation, leading the way to the invention of the electric motor.

Blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan invented the first real bicycle.

English novelist Emily Jane Bronte wrote the romance Wuthering Heights .

Singer-songwriter Carole King released her best-selling album Tapestry.

French naturalist George Dagobert founded the science of comparative anatomy.

By all accounts I at 29 am a failure but for the first time in my life I am comfortable with the position I am in my life because instead of seeing myself as a failure I see myself as a work in progress. I believe that this year is my transitional year, I will enter my thirties as a much different person than I was in my twenties. My twenties have sustained me but they haven't really been good to me. A year ago I was a different person than who I am now and a year from now I will be a different person, a better person that who I am now.

Last year was by far the best and worst birthday I had ever celebrated. As I was leaving town the day before my birthday I had a birthday party a week earlier in which all my friends except for two were in attendance. Earlier last year those two friends deeply offended me, not being one to maintain silence, I spoke up.

They were angered that I chose to speak up and decided to hurt me giving me the silent treatment. I don't play games like that and continued to act civil to them the rest of the year, inviting them over frequently yet when I saw them both acted as if nothing was wrong.

I assumed that everything was fine as I was the one who was offended in the first place and invited them both to my birthday party. I had heard through the grapevine that they weren't going to attend but I felt hopeful. Come the day of the party where I called them several times and both ignored my calls. I called the day after the party and another day after that and still they continued to ignore me. I then contacted them letting them know I wasn't quite sure why they were treating me like that after all we had been friends for almost a decade!

I finally got a reply in which they explained that they were angered by the fact that I was offended in the first place. I then explained back exactly why I was offended in the first place and why I was even more offended that they let it escalate to that point! Finally, they understood and I was met with the response that all was fine with them, we can be friends again.
No, we can't be friends again! That's not how friends treat each other! I was given the opportunity a few weeks ago to renew the friendship once again. No, thank you, I've moved on. I don't want their definition of a friend now or ever! As the year has progressed I have withdrawn from my core group of friends more and more chosing instead to focus on myself.

The good part about my birthday last year was I spent a week with my sister. My sister and I were once close, had no contact for a few years and are now closer than ever. Now I usually talk to her several times a week. On my birthday last year I woke up and found Mr. Max (her cat laying on my chest) and we spent the day last year coloring my hair blue/black and spend the evening shopping! The entire week was fabulous and I'm sad that she isn't here to spend the day with me.

This year I decided not to plan anything big for my birthday. This year my goal is to be the best person I know how to be. I am trying to build a foundation that will sustain me for the rest of my life. The possibilities are endless for me! I can do anything! A year from now I will be a different person, a better person that who I am now!