Report from the decades. 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50.

I don’t have a digital 20 year old photo, so I chose the one of me with my sister at 23, right before I got married.

Decade birthdays have always been a big deal to me.

At 10 my parents had a surprise sleepover birthday party for me in the Yaak. We’d just moved there and I’ll still remember watching my friends show up and wondering why they were there.

At 20 we had a party at my Uncle Roger’s house and all my cousins and aunties and uncles sang to me and we ate food and did family stuff.

When I turned 30 I did a ritual at the beach in Pacifica, CA, with my closest women friends. We brought an object that was meaningful to us and placed it at the little altar we made. Then we said why we brought it. Later we each went around and took an object and said why we were taking it. I ended up with a woman’s journals from the year she was 30. It was a big deal to have her journals and read about her experiences with depression and relationships and dealing with life. It’s very odd that I can’t remember what I left at the altar. I guess that means I released it well. Two years later we moved to Eugene.

When I turned 40 I invented a “bikes and brews” party in Eugene, biking from one brewery to another. Ten years ago the brewery scene was way different than it is now. We went to Oakshire when it was in the Bethel area near our house, then we went to Ninkasi, then Rogue. I’m the only one that biffed it on my bike. And I’m the only one that had to take a nap. This is my sweet friend’s daughter, who was 2 at the time.

50? I’m sitting in a house in Montana that I own on a lovely rainy day. I’m going to be visited by people I love today, and yesterday my boyfriend and his boys made me a little party and even had some confetti. I felt spoiled

I was born in Missoula fifty years ago today. My parents loved me, even though I had that ridiculous melon head…still do…and we had that cute cat photobombing the scene. I was the tiniest baby, not even 6 pounds when I was born. I’m not tiny anymore. I was always the tallest one at school, or at work.

Today, a loved one passed away. I think it’s a bit miraculous and beautiful, and also deeply sad. My sleep last night was filled with that energy…I knew something was coming.

Life is here…right here. Just feel all the things and do all the things you can while you are on this planet. Love. Love greatly. Show up. Trust yourself and be true to who you are.

Here’s to being the best me I can be for the next few decades I’m on the planet.

Namaste.