Santa brought me a new friend...a little early.

The other day, I was in Wal-Mart with Sam and Alan.  I forget exactly what led me there, but while we were walking around Sam said he had to go to the bathroom.  He's been potty trained since he turned 2, but you really never know how long of a timer a little one has between saying he needs to go and him actually going.  So I took him out of the cart, held his hand (boy is he getting tall!) and started towards the nearest bathroom.

After Sam did what he needed to, he asked to wash his hands in the little sink which wasn't a problem.  I gave him some soap and used the rest to wash my hands.  While rinsing them, I looked in the mirror. Then, I LOOKED in the mirror! Was that...?  Naw, it couldn't be....could it?  Sam was still washing his hands, so I dried mine and reached up to my hair...*PLUCK!* I pulled the offending strand close and examined it shrewdly...it was!!!  Shortly before my 31st birthday, I was formally introduced to my first white hair.  I say white because it was bright and sparkly...I named him Edward.

Edward must have recently turned, because I could see the auburn color which I usually dye my hair with, the mousy dark brown that's been my bane since my 20s and then he revealed his true color- bright white.  He would have sparkled spectacularly in the sun; as it was, he did a pretty good job of it in the Wal-Mart bathroom.

And like his namesake, I'm sure he's dying to introduce me to a world in which I am surrounded by his friends as my own become distant memories.  They'll probably sparkle in the sun, too.  I'm hoping that my hair turns in shocks, so that for a while I might be able to walk around like Rogue before I end up looking like Ororo (Storm).

That being said, 10 days before I say goodbye to 30, I've been thinking back on this year as well as how I felt right before I turned.  I remember being apprehensive about turning 30 but I shouldn't have been.  This past year I've felt more ME than I ever have before.  I feel like I fit who I am- I don't have to worry about being mature lest I be seen for nothing more than a stereotype for my age (like I was as a teenager- boy am I happy to see THAT super-serious girl go out the window) nor do I have to be concerned with discovering who I am and who I want to be.  Past the age of parties and 'experimentation', I can be 'me' without having to worry about people wanting to change it or shoving me aside because I am so strange.  I feel accepted and cherished for who I am, and know that those who invite me to share in parts of their life (locally or on facebook) do so because they see a value in me as I see in them.

This year also marked the blossoming of a dream that I've had forever- being a full time artist. (Those of you who knew me in school know I was always drawing or working in the art room)  Being able to use my art to pay for food, shelter and the clothes on my family's back, no longer having to slave away for some corporate machine- that means so much more to me than I could ever really say.  Knowing that pieces of my soul have been spread around the world and that they are loved...it humbles me.  I still put in lots of long hours, but at the end of it I am content instead of drained.

When all is said and done, 30 has been a pretty good year!  I hope that it is just the beginning of a phenomenal decade- I'll get to see Sam grow and blossom into a young man, continue to work and evolve as an artist and spend time with the love of my life.  I'll get to deepen existing friendships and plant seeds for new ones.  Most of all, I'll enjoy the richness of living a life full of caring and creativity.

Thank you for your part in making 30 grand!