Thoughts From Birthdays Past

The jasmine, gardenias, and magnolias are in bloom here in New Orleans. It’s a rainy but generous spring.  

The jasmine reminds me of the nights in California. Gardenias remind me of my grandmother, as she’d clip them from her garden and float them in a bowl on the living room table.  Honestly, I think it was camellias she clipped and floated, but I’ve conflated gardenias and camellias so often that in my brain that gardenias remind me of Grandmother too.  Magnolias are my favorite flower. They’re elegant, strong, royal, and they always reveal their beauty around my birthday when I find myself reflective and looking for affirmations of this beautiful life.  

I turn 40 next week. What a thrill and I mean that most genuinely.  These big banner ages always tempt me to peek back at years past here on this accidental diary called Joy the Baker.  It’s mostly recipes here the last 13 years, but we’ve always been a bit more personal and comfortable than that, haven’t we?

The invitation is to cover your eyes with one hand, peek through the finger and click back eleven years to 2010 with me. 

•  Dear Thirty Nine Year Old Joy.  I wrote this eleven years ago when I was 29.  Earnest.  

•  Here’s a list of thirty little things I wanted to do before I turned 30.  This is sweet. This is hopeful.  Im still a member of Compliment Club.  

•  The Thirty Things I’ve Learned In Thirty Years. For some reason I don’t remember ever owning teal clogs but I stand by most these thoughts. 

•  Thirty Two which features a picture of me in New Orleans before I lived here.  On the path! 

•  This is 35 and I’m still committed to making my own dreams come true. 

•  And this from last year This is 39 in which I strive to be exactly who I are – what a privilege! 

I’ll have more thoughts (at least I hope to), next week when on my birthday.  Thanks for being with with me so far, this far.

 Happy Thursday! 

xo Joy