I Love May

May is my favorite month. There’s Cinco de Mayo and Memorial Day to look forward to in May. And when I was growing up it was the last month of school.

It’s also my birthday month. No wonder it’s my favorite month!

For many years I looked at May as my mid-year check-in.  I would look at my life’s goals and think about where I wanted to be before December rolled around.

How Death Taught Me About Perspective

Then May 20, 2017 happened. That was the day that my father passed away. While we knew it was coming, we thought we would get to spend one last Christmas as a family. If you’ve followed my blog articles since I’ve started writing, I talk a lot about that day. It forever changed me, and you’ll notice a theme in my writing. I often discuss shift in perspective and how I view the world.

It’s been nearly a year and my perspective on life has changed so much. I no longer hold my emotions close to the chest. I no longer hesitate to tell others I love them or to say hello to strangers. I also choose to look at a glass as half full (or more than I did a year ago) and I’ve been taking more time for myself instead of depleting my energy to make others happy.

Celebrate Your Blessings

Instead of choosing to look at May as a time to review my goals and make a checklist to hit by the year’s end, I’m now using it as a marker to celebrate life.

When I turn 40 on May 24, I’ll celebrate all the blessings I’ve received in a year and reflect with gratitude. I’m thankful that even after death, my father taught me the lesson of perspective.

That celebration starts today, May 1, and will last all month. Heck, I might decide to keep it going until the end of the year! I’m celebrating my 40th birthday with a fun photo shoot, plenty of parties with friends and by giving back to the community.

May 1 is also known as May Day, a day people around the world, and especially in Europe, celebrate by singing, dancing and even EATING CAKE. See, I’m on trend!

Celebrate With Me

Why am I telling you all this? Because I want you to join me in celebrating May Day by doing one thing that makes your heart smile and positively shifts your perspective. I’ve only been practicing this for a short while, but I’m pretty sure you’ll find energy, a sense of purpose and might toss your hair in the wind.

Most importantly, all I want for my birthday is to hear from you, #movementmakertribe. Let me know what you’re doing to fill your tank and get your shine on. Leave me a note in the comment section below, on my blog or on my facebook page.  And in the meantime, I’m going to countdown to May 24th.

PS. They say, “empowered women empower women.” And several amazing lady leaders gifted me with their talents to make my #talk40tome photo shoot a reality. My fellow Junior League sister, Angelica took these photos and I can’t wait to see the rest of them.  Erin made me look glamorous with her makeup brushes and Larissa of Surge Styling pulled my outfits together.

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