Reflections on 40

So next week is a big week. Celebrant classes start again, and I turn 41.

It’s been a very busy year.

• I turned 40 and we celebrated with ride in the country, then dinner, followed by helping a girl who was freaking out a bit fix a flat tire.

I took this picture the day I turned 40. It's been all twists and turns since then.

• That weekend, we had a huge party celebrating my and the Wookie’s birthdays.
• I saw my niece earn her black belt.
• I started pottery classes.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

• Wookie Graduated EMT school.

• I saw my Celebrancy practice grow to include Memorials and a rally for abused animals.
• I was investigated by police for bribary—I learned to check the marriage license envelope for my wedding fee before I mail it in.
• I lost my job; becoming unemployed after 15 years of continuous work.
• We found out that Frankie had cancer.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

• I learned to give subcutaneous fluids to a cat.
• I taught the Social Media course I developed for celebrants for the second year.
• I presented at the Celebrant Foundation Collective Wisdom conference and celebrated the 10^th Anniversary of the Celebrant Foundation and Institute.
• I watched my third class of Celebrants graduate.

©Paul Skehan 2011

• We had friends over from Canada for Graduation and I got a tiara.

• I celebrated my fifth year as a certified Life-Cycle Celebrant® by entering into the Master Celebrant course.
• I got henna for the first time.

• We had some SCUBA fun.
• I went to NYC to celebrate the start of Marriage Equality in NY.

• Frankie passed away.
• I attended a social media conference in NYC.
• We had an earthquake, and a hurricane, and our basement flooded, all in about a week.

• I tore my cornea and learned a few weeks later that I should stay away from over the counter eye drops because…
• They might trigger something called Aides Eye—which looks a lot like an aneurism.

• I learned that my EMT husband knows which local hospitals have fully staffed MRIs and the shortest routes to them. (I went to the eye doctor and it turned out not to be an aneurism, but it was good information to have.)
• I drove to Arizona with a friend.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

• While I was gone my house flooded.
• My awesome husband made it so that I could continue on the trip without coming home.
• When I got home I helped Wookie teach his Dive Squad CPR.
• I ran a successful online fundraiser for the Celebrant Institute.

• I learned that I need to improve my math skills before ordering at the all-you-can-eat sushi place again.

• I learned I can’t eat squid ink.

• I took over 6000 pictures.
• I enjoyed another year with my Wookie, my family, and my friends.

©Cristina Kollet 2011

It’s been one hell of a year. 8 days to go.

Here’s hoping 41 is a good year.