Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.
-Alice Walker
And there it was, blushing atop the trellis: the first rose of spring. I'd been keeping my eye on it for days... watching as pink filled a bulging green bud... watching to see how long the color could stand to be hemmed in before it burst its seams and wore its beauty for the peering sky. Then this morning I checked and there it was. How anyone can see an unfolded rose and not set her heart into the hands of the petal's Creator is beyond me.
There was much talk last night about my thirtieth birthday party. (Yikes. It's next week.) I always thought my 30s would greet me in the Cognac Lounge at Cool River in Las Colinas, or somewhere, with a handful of friends and news reporting buddies, crusty bosses and maybe a who's who type person or two, all bored to tears yet buying me Amaretto Sours and shoving wadded bills into my hands with a curt, I didn't get you a card, but happy birthday, kid. And then I'd take a cab straight to DFW airport and board a plane bound for the English countryside. Strangely enough, that's how I always wanted the beginning of my thirties decade to look.But that was before I learned to live, frugally, on surprise. Instead, my 30th birthday is set here in this tiny town, and instead of a handful of wacky reporters, many of whom couldn't tell you my real name, much less spell it (hint: it's not Brin), I'll be surrounded by the faces I can't imagine my life without - people I couldn't love more if I tried. There'll be balloons. There'll be champagne. There'll be cupcakes. There'll be music, there'll be laughter, and there'll be hugs. (There will also be a little wagging brown dog named Millie.) And, best of all, there will be happiness. There will be the joy that comes with living the life you've dreamed of... being the person you were meant to be... and being surrounded by the people you adore who love you right back. There'll be nothing better.
Surprise, surprise.
I hate to break it to you Sweet Cheeks but you are about to begin your fourth decade. Hope it's incredible. Trust the Bakery's boomin' and happy to hear a little mention of the sweet chocolate dog.
ReplyDeleteYou're not Brin! WHO IS THIS?
ReplyDeleteI didn't expect you to be Brin, but it's weird to hear you say it.
wow.
sounds perfect, sounds happy...sounds all grown-up in the best way possible.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Brin. Love reading your posts. 30 is great! Wait till you hit 40. Speaking of surprise, I had my baby last year, I was 45. Now, that's a surprise, but one I am so thankful for. God knows what we can handle and what we can't.
ReplyDeleteBTW, love your coffe house. If I ever get a chance to go your way would definately look it up. Have you started a "scrapbook" type of wall for all of your customers to write on? It would serve as a wonderful memory in years to come...
Jenny
Rats, I like the name Brin. Is it short for something else? Inquiring minds need to know!
ReplyDeleteMy 30s were wonderful, full of career changes, babies and homes. I hope yours hold happiness for you, too.
Hey Brin... or whoever you are! LOL...
ReplyDeleteDid you find my card I slipped under the door? Can't wait to be able to come visit again when you are open.
Age is only a number...it is all what you make it.
Skip over to my blog if you have a sec, I wrote about your place.
Have a blessed birthday!
SOUNDS SO GROWN UP AND SO PERFECT!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Brin. your blogs have been amusing, charming, heartbreaking, thoughtful and inspirational.
ReplyDeleteYears from now you will still be happy and humbled that your life is small enough to appreciate the blooming of a rose.
Happy birthday a little early. And in all honesty the birthday you are going to have sounds so much better than that other one you dreamed of.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your 30th...it's not so bad, I promise.
My 30th saw me with an almost 3 month old, a husband in college and next to nothing other than our basic bills paid, but I wouldn't do it over for the world :)
I too am living the life I never had planned for myself, but God sure did! As I face 50 in June, all I want is another 50 to work on my dreams.....you are blessed, so blessed!
ReplyDeleteI would say that is the perfect way to embark on the next decade of your life!
ReplyDeleteYou are not Brin, I really am Beverly. Now, I am worried I should be Gail or something. Your bakery looks so tasty and sweet, and a fun place to take my granddaughter to.
ReplyDeleteYeah well, I'm not Vee either! =D
ReplyDeleteYou sound so happy, Brin! I'll forever think of you as Brin. Do you find that you think of yourself as Brin, too?
Okay, we're both gonna need a shrink before this is over so I'll leave it at that.
Hey Brin...As someone who really DOES know your name (and how to spell it!! I think I mispronounced it the whole time we were pledging!), I can't wait to join you in your 30's. I'll begin that journey in just a few months...so, let me know how it goes!
ReplyDeleteOh, and I forgot to ask before, but please keep me on the email list after you discontinue to blog!
So I really am Debe but I don't blog. So looking forward to hearing how that fabulous birthday goes, whatever your name is...henrybella owner!! Celebrate you, whoever you want to be an any given moment.
ReplyDeleteAhhh, Los Colinas. One of my first dates with my husband was at the club at the top of Los Colinas - a better view couldn't be found in the entire city. A perk of working for Club Corp at the time :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your thirtieth! My thirties were fabulous!
Welcome to 30. Birthdays are never what you expect and each one gets better and better as you travel the Narrow Path through this life.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! Life is what we make it and kudos to you for making it happen. It hasn't been an easy row to hoe but I hope you never give up and never lose sight of your dreams!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday all the way from Australia where I have been enjoying your blog for a few months now. You are an inspiration and I pray you will continue to be blessed all the more now that you are entering your 30s!! :)
ReplyDeleteAt 31, I had a daughter ready to enter her teens! How did that happen? By the time I turned 37, my children were in college and independent and I was figuring out what to do with 'the rest of my life'. Each life is such a gift in it's own way, and it's so lovely to know that you, Brin, have learned that. Wishing you the most happy, the most calm, the most soul-satisfying birthday ever ...
ReplyDeleteBrin you wording here is amazing:
ReplyDelete"watching to see how long the color could stand to be hemmed in before it burst its seams and wore its beauty for the peering sky. Then this morning I checked and there it was. How anyone can see an unfolded rose and not set her heart into the hands of the petal's Creator is beyond me."
I had to read it to my husband after I told him you are the best writer I think I've ever come in contact with...blog contact, that is...but still. I will really really miss your blog and getting to be a part of the way God uses you to make art through words.
Wishing you some wonderful 30s ahead too!