tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2267722855038063452024-03-05T11:24:30.691+01:00Being Beautifully 40A blog about living in one's 40's. Celebrating life with a smile, and welcoming each added year with open arms - be beautifully 40!Joanna aka Paperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13632128051637735787noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226772285503806345.post-13976653757440357642014-02-07T09:27:00.001+01:002014-02-07T12:56:13.409+01:0040 Days to Turning 42<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQfK9ZpC3I7cHaPjcTrAHNCQs_W5ew5I3uVAuPhQLF2hR5vqRneLfnnT1dRnS4n7e5KgMftORf2jm3hDvfJNHz2RC61Z_yHYb3laA0XWA7BYxPzrduRQ3AgvxVplRgirXtmWbVkphF1wL/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQfK9ZpC3I7cHaPjcTrAHNCQs_W5ew5I3uVAuPhQLF2hR5vqRneLfnnT1dRnS4n7e5KgMftORf2jm3hDvfJNHz2RC61Z_yHYb3laA0XWA7BYxPzrduRQ3AgvxVplRgirXtmWbVkphF1wL/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" height="640" width="436" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning Selfie<br />
9:17 am</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>At age 20</b>, we worry about what others think of us. <b>At 40</b>, we don't care
what they think of us. <b>At 60</b>, we discover they haven't been thinking of
us at all. - <i><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ask_Ann_Landers" target="_blank">Ann Landers</a></b></i></blockquote>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
This blog page was originally created to countdown the months leading to my 40th birthday, and document how it is to be in one's 40's, as I wrote in this blogpost: <b><a href="http://beingbeautifully40.blogspot.nl/2011/05/take-off.html" target="_blank">Take-Off!</a></b><br />
<br />
Alas, I was unable to do that. I will not go into why I was unable to do it but instead list down what I hope will be personal guidelines, others can learn from, to be able to complete personal challenges. Inspite of leaving scattered uncompleted projects behind me, I have in fact completed many! <br />
<br />
Only, I tend to let the feelings of defeat from previous unfinished projects to pull me down and keep me down. This diminish the feeling of joy over the accomplishment of those completed projects.<br />
<br />
No more of that attitude! Here is more to empowering attitude! Celebrating what has been reached, giving kudos to one self for having the courage to begin, again and again. Cultivate the creative energy by acting upon inspiration and ideas, instead of letting them sit in the dark recess of one's mind. Sometimes it is a matter of timing. Sometimes you complete things at a right time.<br />
<br />
So this is the motivation behind the project <span style="color: blue;"><b>40 days count down to Turning 42</b><span style="color: #444444;">!</span></span> It seems to be a genial way to complete a circle.<br />
<br />
On the day I turned 40, here is what I wrote:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TSYAT6SDltuuMA7yCfItX-4_Mw0gl7imqxDRqCbW87Kkd3xXaWqVJbDUY4D0fjzI79qHduloNN4XzLtkxpGD2qemMIHO58oZNQW9-XJVplzYJW9sxLoG8eTUGOQheAauxGK8BJYK714/s1600/My+1st+Birthday%252C+20th+of+March%252C+1973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TSYAT6SDltuuMA7yCfItX-4_Mw0gl7imqxDRqCbW87Kkd3xXaWqVJbDUY4D0fjzI79qHduloNN4XzLtkxpGD2qemMIHO58oZNQW9-XJVplzYJW9sxLoG8eTUGOQheAauxGK8BJYK714/s1600/My+1st+Birthday%252C+20th+of+March%252C+1973.jpg" height="640" width="614" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Moi: 1st birthday, March, 1973</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdem03uToLebZ7isd0HqGAuQSKE1K5fuaS6p9ft-xLVWSxGhiWQ9zF-641Bs_7tmsAZvO7BoyW8PIaF5RtCVKhTZmdkmk6QkdwAdhye4pZcZJMCxb8knz2uO_2MxobaY6sJ_HjBm-pRMY/s1600/Happy+Birthday+Joanna+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdem03uToLebZ7isd0HqGAuQSKE1K5fuaS6p9ft-xLVWSxGhiWQ9zF-641Bs_7tmsAZvO7BoyW8PIaF5RtCVKhTZmdkmk6QkdwAdhye4pZcZJMCxb8knz2uO_2MxobaY6sJ_HjBm-pRMY/s1600/Happy+Birthday+Joanna+Cake.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Birthday cake from 2011</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://mydailymooosingsinthenetherlands.blogspot.nl/2012/03/life-begins-40.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Life Begins at 40</span></a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Now my <span style="color: blue;"><b>#3ToBeFree</b></span> tips to complete personal projects/goals:<br />
<ol>
<li><u><b>Have a "Keep it Simple Attitude"</b></u>. Working on a project or a goal should be fun because ultimately the process towards the end resulsts you are aiming for will teach you a lot more than the day you complete a project or reach your goal. Do not over-think the process. Live the process.</li>
<li><u><b>Have a "Time it Habit"</b></u>. Each day you have to work on a project should not be a day you dread. Your project/goal should not encompass your entire life. It/they should complement and enrich your daily life. Alloting a schedule for when and how long you will invest to work on your project and goals is one of the simple secret to succeeding in completing and reaching them.</li>
<li><u><b>Have a "Savour the Moments Spirit"</b></u>. A day, as you know can feel short or long, even though everyone of us possess 24 hours; we spend and perceive it differently. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_perception" target="_blank">Time perception</a> is something that fascinates me. What I have learned, when you are working on a project/goal, time flies faster. You are more focused (there it is again, my favourite word ;) ) on how time passes by. When you relish the moments it gives you that positive energy that will keep you going strong until the "finish line".</li>
</ol>
And so my <span style="color: blue;"><b>40 days count down to Turning 42 </b></span>begins; keeping the guidelines in mind, I feel confident I will complete it!Joanna aka Paperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13632128051637735787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226772285503806345.post-5730531483649031202011-06-26T01:31:00.008+02:002011-06-28T18:39:53.609+02:00Rediscovered Joy! (267 Days to 40)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCEPw60eJEp_qrCahxhR7LAlkqFqQTlMdA7IGTc6hsgWVKE6dZR4pUiLUwgHfQ4XagfxnBmS1A8tJgxHICjKnExUKv8_Ct7seNS0Wzz867fRLbDTgu8od-PdTZTMyhvgn-hstGCjzzKo-K/s1600/Being+Beautifully403-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCEPw60eJEp_qrCahxhR7LAlkqFqQTlMdA7IGTc6hsgWVKE6dZR4pUiLUwgHfQ4XagfxnBmS1A8tJgxHICjKnExUKv8_Ct7seNS0Wzz867fRLbDTgu8od-PdTZTMyhvgn-hstGCjzzKo-K/s640/Being+Beautifully403-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some of the images were taken with my old mobile phone</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">Friends...they cherish one another’s hopes. They are kind to one another’s dreams. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau">Henry David Thoreau </a></b></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></blockquote><span style="background-color: yellow;"></span><br />
I found pictures I thought were lost! Amongst them, those from my <a href="http://mydailymooosingsinthenetherlands.blogspot.com/2011/06/34th-birthday-pictures-resurfaced.html">34th birthday</a>.<br />
<br />
To celebrate this simple joy, I created a collage of images that reminds me of how having true friends, and following your hopes and dreams can make you feel strong and beautiful.<br />
<br />
Watch out for stories behind the pictures in the collage, at <a href="http://mydailymooosingsinthenetherlands.blogspot.com/">My Daily Mooosings in the Netherlands</a>. <b style="background-color: yellow; color: red;"><span style="background-color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">☺</span></b>Joanna aka Paperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13632128051637735787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226772285503806345.post-28598154065398192592011-06-25T21:18:00.022+02:002011-06-26T00:09:56.225+02:00Dots & Goals (268 Days to 40)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueVhsgkQWKCnMnG2HTM0boLScI1ryDJEGsElD15Y8fIPMkr18fho_RSI4ceEAFh4nQYoeqdE9neZmHlEf3IZKkz7pDQqxoNFD8mfC0zgqflbTFiFKZfarwNkFFhDVUuN6I-rWdGiuNfET/s1600/Vollbildaufzeichnung+25.06.2011+205116++another+version.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueVhsgkQWKCnMnG2HTM0boLScI1ryDJEGsElD15Y8fIPMkr18fho_RSI4ceEAFh4nQYoeqdE9neZmHlEf3IZKkz7pDQqxoNFD8mfC0zgqflbTFiFKZfarwNkFFhDVUuN6I-rWdGiuNfET/s640/Vollbildaufzeichnung+25.06.2011+205116++another+version.jpg" width="483" /></a></div><blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another. <br />
<b> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dewey">John Dewey </a></b></span></blockquote><a name='more'></a></blockquote>This page is as you might have guessed, still in development.<br />
<br />
My long-term goal is to fortify positive thinking and make it a part of daily life, to make it as natural as breathing. I hope as the countdown to my 40th birthday progress this will be achieve in the process.<br />
<br />
My short-term goal: simply to create a self-empowering posts, inspiring self-portraits posters, in other words a page that will store the beautiful essence of the day.Joanna aka Paperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13632128051637735787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226772285503806345.post-32961266890593590992011-06-24T16:55:00.061+02:002011-06-25T20:29:41.901+02:00Being Woman (269 Days to 40)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sDM6nesCBAvbUHC68x0uX_5O2dHl7AdppabK5zyLRny6jQcNQYtfnktZOIvxYc_RgsBb9vdJoRFoR0EGAoyvPPPMgJ4XrnYfduwBie_Dboa1WZccJE_VGDY6CS-sL_SQ1PZsULgJaXek/s1600/backdate+24.061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sDM6nesCBAvbUHC68x0uX_5O2dHl7AdppabK5zyLRny6jQcNQYtfnktZOIvxYc_RgsBb9vdJoRFoR0EGAoyvPPPMgJ4XrnYfduwBie_Dboa1WZccJE_VGDY6CS-sL_SQ1PZsULgJaXek/s640/backdate+24.061.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">365-self~portraits each from the month of January to June</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">Change always comes bearing gifts. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_Pritchett">Price Pritchett </a></b></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></blockquote>It's that time of the month, and that is the reason for this <a href="http://mydailymooosingsinthenetherlands.blogspot.com/2011/06/comforts-pms.html">backdated blog</a> (please follow the link for a background story of this tag).<br />
<br />
This year is the most "regular" of my cycles, and I have indirectly documented it through 365-self~portraits. Somehow there is a comforting feeling with seeing clearly how those cycles do come, and does go, and the crazies are only fleeting!<br />
<br />
I've also appreciated that somehow the move here in our new home, all those major changes have contributed to the regularity of these cycles, and with it, somehow a bit more structure to the chaos I normally experience.<br />
<br />
The quotes I have used to accompany most of my 365-self~portraits, have also been helpful in making me realise that I can in time of the crazies change my focus by concentrating on creative projects.<br />
<br />
One of my favourite is from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Alda">Alan Alda </a>~<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you are doing. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover will be yourself. </span></blockquote>Joanna aka Paperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13632128051637735787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226772285503806345.post-79684223370073453252011-06-23T21:23:00.001+02:002011-06-23T21:24:50.848+02:00The Lightness of Being on The Bike (270 Days to 40)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFr9hrYWlciL7gy1PN9tEiA_GdPpXh0V2nQVOljeUxrtA7aZnKTtXrsp6Ekl4GfHRhgDQqoQzU8hkrc2lIcNYdGT9vDBiGbrGZHlgzprhMxtOWwNaSeESOHi1xWU56TGjkJgSkZ-iqYuUj/s1600/Kunsthalle+05.06.11-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFr9hrYWlciL7gy1PN9tEiA_GdPpXh0V2nQVOljeUxrtA7aZnKTtXrsp6Ekl4GfHRhgDQqoQzU8hkrc2lIcNYdGT9vDBiGbrGZHlgzprhMxtOWwNaSeESOHi1xWU56TGjkJgSkZ-iqYuUj/s640/Kunsthalle+05.06.11-2.jpg" width="548" /></a></div><blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. <br />
<b> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Beckett">Samuel Beckett </a></b></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></blockquote>I learned biking, not at an early age like children here in Holland; it is a long story but it is a story of not ever giving up, which I would document in the blog I created exactly for stories all about biking - <a href="http://thelightnessofbeingonthebike.blogspot.com/">The Lightness of Being on the Bike</a>.<br />
<br />
Aspiring, falling, failing, getting up, getting inspired and being inspired all these process associate not only with biking but with my life, both taught me a lot, and gave me that strong belief in myself.Joanna aka Paperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13632128051637735787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226772285503806345.post-83457574341615581862011-06-22T21:44:00.003+02:002011-06-26T00:06:53.925+02:00The Fish & The Scorpio (271 Days to 40)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKm61h_-K6yjir1DPn5kA5TyKJonQiKFN59KSw8Z0ysdNr8HJB-wej0-PSL_HQ_W_c_q0NPDJl4bRyCwbFy8IAaJFehkRrBbMOiUgdu0I0UZPNJ5-HRChGalsaRQPAE0E-R-U0v9II_278/s1600/on+the+alster+13.07.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKm61h_-K6yjir1DPn5kA5TyKJonQiKFN59KSw8Z0ysdNr8HJB-wej0-PSL_HQ_W_c_q0NPDJl4bRyCwbFy8IAaJFehkRrBbMOiUgdu0I0UZPNJ5-HRChGalsaRQPAE0E-R-U0v9II_278/s640/on+the+alster+13.07.10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">It’s a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy. <br />
<b> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucille_Ball">Lucille Ball </a></b></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></blockquote>My Scorpio makes me happy, and he makes me see my inner and outer beauty like no one else can.<br />
<br />
He is the image of joy, I see holding my hand as the years pass by and as those smooth hands changes it's colour and texture. We will forever, I know this certainty, give each other that silent squeeze expressing love, affection and gratefulness that we found each other in the huge pool of life.Joanna aka Paperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13632128051637735787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226772285503806345.post-66674298007859731652011-06-21T18:36:00.003+02:002011-06-26T00:07:17.969+02:00As You Grow Older. . . (272 Days to 40)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQv10Yr9QRIBKtDYINP0b_AVkjLXtnhtWNUWC7hmhfuA5g6tGrLKV1-NEMCJVNif1YQgneX5xFTek-NA_BGMc1EjZP_9-n1-THTWpyWZXETcK-5yTIdxlJiKPZFtMVdmdpCdU4kCkS8pp/s1600/Vollbildaufzeichnung+16.06.2011+232908-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQv10Yr9QRIBKtDYINP0b_AVkjLXtnhtWNUWC7hmhfuA5g6tGrLKV1-NEMCJVNif1YQgneX5xFTek-NA_BGMc1EjZP_9-n1-THTWpyWZXETcK-5yTIdxlJiKPZFtMVdmdpCdU4kCkS8pp/s640/Vollbildaufzeichnung+16.06.2011+232908-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">365-self~portrait 16.06.11</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<a name='more'></a><i>Counting down the days to milestones should be a must!</i><br />
<br />
<blockquote><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.</span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Dr. Seuss </span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.</span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Katharine Hepburn</span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. The trite subjects of human efforts, possessions, outward success, luxury have always seemed to me contemptible.</span><br />
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"> Albert Einstein</span></blockquote><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">You guessed right, this 365 - self-portrait was inspired by Albert Einstein. :) A fellow Piscean.</span>Joanna aka Paperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13632128051637735787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226772285503806345.post-4304048013522056182011-06-20T19:00:00.010+02:002011-06-26T00:07:50.220+02:00I'm Dharma (273 Days to 40)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgTFq6E-g25TL_iqEY5f0fgBm3zQ8UNar9OCLj3ryjQc8onk1t9xf9GNHMEQwwBPMpG5va29IQvl_by1_maCntchubKlyHbvh2vReLijJr0sxcixg3j3E9jKxhREEt-xrZ8ljIpeOwS1Q/s1600/Collagen-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgTFq6E-g25TL_iqEY5f0fgBm3zQ8UNar9OCLj3ryjQc8onk1t9xf9GNHMEQwwBPMpG5va29IQvl_by1_maCntchubKlyHbvh2vReLijJr0sxcixg3j3E9jKxhREEt-xrZ8ljIpeOwS1Q/s640/Collagen-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
I'm old<br />
I'm new<br />
I'm Dharma<br />
<br />
My mind was a fortress<br />
My mind was a maze<br />
My mind was a turbulent space<br />
<br />
Karma<br />
Chameleon<br />
DreamJoanna aka Paperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13632128051637735787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226772285503806345.post-40773289424344273062011-05-29T15:17:00.010+02:002011-06-26T00:09:31.000+02:00Take-off!<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgov4265Jzvy8527vz09YpDoI4dbfcrK-brPmdI6tPsfbwbtMGX25mnQzHxmj8HONy6FTXZ4aSbU_YBx0tAh8bx7ebN1h5Yqt-FRjI1kkuCrDWBiX3wyv5SZOQLotDVU1djhPKKB17teXc9/s1600/being+40.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgov4265Jzvy8527vz09YpDoI4dbfcrK-brPmdI6tPsfbwbtMGX25mnQzHxmj8HONy6FTXZ4aSbU_YBx0tAh8bx7ebN1h5Yqt-FRjI1kkuCrDWBiX3wyv5SZOQLotDVU1djhPKKB17teXc9/s640/being+40.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><blockquote>We turn not older with years, but newer every day.<b><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Dickinson">- Emily Dickinson</a></b></blockquote><a name='more'></a><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Dickinson"></a></b></blockquote><br />
In about 3 weeks, I will start counting down the days leading to my 40th birthday. I chose the time period of 9 months before this milestone because I feel all the emotions of anticipation for this particular birthday is not unlike those I felt when I learned I was blessed with a child in my womb. Only this time, I am not an expectant mother but it feels like expecting the birth of 40 something me<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">!</span><br />
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I love finding the quote from Emily Dickinson while preparing to write the first entry to this blog because it is exactly how I feel when I think about turning 40. it is indeed a milestone, but I don't feel at all, that I belong to the stone-age<b>.</b><br />
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It is a chance to look back, celebrate the past 39 years in various vignettes, pictures of the present in remembrance of the past, old and new video clips; simply document all about the awesomeness of being 40 (and beyond1) and living life fully<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">!</span><br />
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My life has been full of major transitions the last couple of years, and I have found solace, growth and inspiration through blogging while going through all the changes. What is more fitting than using a blog page as a platform to start one's take off to a new whole chapter of life<span style="font-size: large;">.</span><br />
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Come along, smile and soar with me<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">!</span>Joanna aka Paperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13632128051637735787noreply@blogger.com0