I turned 42 recently. Time seemed to fly by nowadays.

Lessons I learnt from disappointments from previous birthdays have finally gotten into me and I believed I had a mindset change which led to me having an incredible birthday.

After dropping my son off for school, I drove to a nearby park for a walk. Just breathing in fresh air and admiring greenery does wonders for improving moods and clearing my mind.

I decided to do a longer route and wait out to avoid the heavy traffic home. I even had time to meet the new chicken family in the park. I hope they don’t get eaten up by otters or crocodile nearby as reported recently.

Just when I got home, I received a text from a friend who shared the exact birthday that she was feeling under the weather and couldn’t meet for lunch and the massage session.

No worries. Please rest well and we can catch up again. I wasn’t feeling any negativity or disappointment at all.

Hence, I decided drive over to Yunomori Onsen & Spa to get my udon, onsen and massage fix.

Best thing was realising I don’t have to pay anything because my husband had topped up the package the last time we visited (quite some time ago).

I had time to lounge and pretended to read the book I brought along.

Realising that I have not gotten a birthday cake and I would be happy if I get a cake I wanted, so I visited the bakery and got myself a vanilla cake because I really don’t like chocolate.

True enough, the husband showed up at home with a Black Forest cake which would absolutely made me unhappy if I didn’t buy my own cake.

Come dinner time, I booked a seafood restaurant and ordered Chili Crab which I was craving for. I was satisfied.

Unlike previous years of waiting for surprises only to be disappointed later, I learnt that my happiness is within my control this birthday.

That is a year wiser I guess.

Happy Birthday to me!