Thanks for all the good wishes. And for the people who find me an "inspiration"--well, trust me, whatever I've learned I learned the hard way, doing lots of things that were NOT in my best interest (and sometimes even repeating the same mistakes a few times). If I inspire anyone, I hope it's not to give up on yourself, even when you feel like a worthless piece of dog dung (and ESPECIALLY don't give up on yourself then!). I've still got a ways to go, and fortunately, I'm still young, lol.
I had a pretty nice day, even if nothing spectacular was planned. One of the nicest surprises was that my coworkers chipped in and gave me a gift card for Ticketmaster--for $150! I was totally floored, and very touched. I have a feeling a couple of people in particular, who know my fondness for live music, came up with the idea of what to get me, and it was really an awesome, perfect gift.
The first person to wish me happy birthday today was my first husband (the kids' dad, sober 36 years). He's feeling a little smug because he's two years younger than I, but he said I've simply been "upgraded to v. 6.0." He called really early because he was going hiking. I heard from almost everybody else--my Dad, my brother, my younger son. My older son dropped the ball, but it's OK.
All in all, a nice day and I can go to bed with a sense of gratitude.
