So here I was thinking I’d have a hard time coming up with topics, but thinking about what to “toast” in my life is actually…overwhelming.  There’s so much to choose from. I can “toast”…my husband, Bird, my incredible child, motherhood, all the mommies out there, movies I saw this weekend: Iron Man 3, or my new tv mystery obsession Top of the Lake, (why isn’t EVERYONE watching this??!!) my friends, public libraries, popcorn, hugs, tacos with Motown playing in Echo Park Friday night…or I could go deeper and “toast” creative energy, spiritual guidance, healing, shit…I could “toast” my shrink.  Actually, I do “toast” her everyday.  Let me tell ya! 

But here’s what keeps surfacing to the top of what I want to, need to “toast” today….

Anti-wrinkie, firming cream.  

Seriously.  I’m just grateful to this amazing product. Not sure if it’s working yet, but I feel like I’m a wee bit more  in control of…my face by using this product.  I don’t deny my age, never lied about it. There’s no need for that.  I have accomplished alot, most likely the hard way, so if I was to shave ten years off my age then I’d what…hide something I’ve done in my past? (And yes, there are some things I could hide…probably should… to protect the innocent) But how can I say I’m younger when my daughter is 21 and I’m so freakin proud of the young woman she’s become- and I didn’t have her when I was a teenager.  Which is also something I’m proud of.  Statistically, where i come from, who we were in the small town I grew up in- poor, brown… it was probably a given that one of us would be a teen parent and we were weren’t.  And let me be clear- that is not a knock against teen parents. I know plenty and I feel we need to be providing support to all our teenagers, and if they bring a child into this world, they need us even more.  Okay, wow, that would be for another blog post…because I write about teen moms… But back to the “toast” at hand…

Here’s a confession – I test the people I come in contact with sometimes.  Not the folks who know me and know how hold my child is, but others, I just meet. I will admit that I find a way to work it into conversation that Bird is 21 to see their response…I wait for them to say, “Whaaat?  You..?  No!  I would have thought you were in your 30’s…”  And then I grin and force a blush and say, “Oh, no. I’m 47, but that’s the plan…”  And I laugh like I’m cool, free and totally freakin okay with my age.  lol!

So this morning’s “toast” is to my new anti-wrinkle, firming face creme.  I put it on with love for my skin. I rub it in asking it to work it’s magic.

But then my second “toast” is to aging, to recognizing all one’s accomplishments, and celebrating a full life on one’s journey.

Peace.