Yesterday I celebrated another birthday.

How wonderful to have been given the privilege to live this long, healthy, happy and “surrounded” by good friends.

I love this date because I have the opportunity to reflect on how life has been good to me. I have travelled the world, lived in many different countries, experienced different cultures, learned many languages and most especially made so many friends who I treasure more than a pot of gold (wouldn’t mind having a real pot of gold as well).

This year I re-established connection with childhood and teenage time friends from school; I kept in contact with many friends I met around the world, from all kind of nationalities and cultures.

It is a big satisfaction to receive messages in so many different languages, different parts of the world, perhaps triggered by an FB reminder, but nevertheless heartfelt and sincere.

As I, or we, get older we neglect to see how lucky we have been. Many of us, when looking in the mirror only see the wrinkles and the change in our bodies. Many of us fight the ageing process forgetting that the wrinkles in our faces, the extra kilos around our waist, mean we had fun, we lived life in full, we enjoyed what was given to us. And judging by the number of wrinkles and extra kilos around the waist… boy I had loads of fun!!!😇

When we look in the mirror we may not recognise that old person looking back at us, because inside us we are the age we choose to be. In my mind I am 25 and will be until the day I die, which I hope it is far, far away. In the mean time I will keep on dancing as if I was 25 and enjoying life because I have been blessed with the most precious gifts: a fabulous husband, a wonderful daughter, a nice and large family, a good life and real friends (even if we do not meet often). What else can I wish for? The wrinkles are here to prove it all. Yes of course I have more “proofs” than I wished for, but well one cannot have it all.

😂

Cheers everyone for all the birthdays wishes. Hope to have them all again next year!!!!!