Tuesday the 21st

Today's declutter: I took a small mirror, encased in red plastic, to the lobby.

Tonight I went to my second chorus rehearsal for the opera I'm in. It promises to be fun. I met a few cute men there, which was completely unexpected. A couple of them checked me out too, which made my night. It's nice for a gal in her 40s to be checked out by younger (I assume) men.

Age is on my mind because it's my birthday week! It's a funny thing: When I was in my 20s I was beautiful - I had that glowing youthful skin, wavy hair, and a lot of energy - but I didn't believe it. Now in my 40s the bloom is gone, and my energy isn't what it was, but I'm in better shape, and am so much more comfortable with myself that I actually see myself as beautiful now. There's something about confidence that translates into beauty, even if a woman isn't technically as pretty as she once was. I enjoyed my 30s more than my 20s, and my 40s are turning out better than my 30s. And that is all due to feeling comfortable with who I am.

So if any of you women out there are afraid of getting older, just wait. You'll find out what I did: Older is better!