Regret can be good...

May is always a busy time of year for me.  I have two children with birthdays, my anniversary, mother's day, my mother's birthday, and then the end of the school year with everything that involves.   This year...it got even busier.

My mother celebrated her 90th birthday last Friday.  She has never made a big deal of her birthday. Neither of my parents have.  I think that's generational.  Actually, my mother prefers to not celebrate her birthday...but we don't listen to her.  This year, all of my siblings came together and decided to bring the party to her...as a surprise.  It was a HUGE success.  All morning (and even the day before, as my two brothers arrived the day before her birthday) family was arriving.  Tears were flowing, her hands were over her mouth in amazement saying, "You're not supposed to be here!"  We brought dinner, a cake, party decorations, and a tiara.  We also brought shovels, rakes, gloves, and saws, as our gift to our mother was a yard clean-up.  It was a long way to go for one day.  But I can't believe I  even considered NOT going.

When I first learned of the birthday plan, I just didn't think there was any possible way I could attend. Like I detailed above, May is a busy time.  And I'll be back bringing my daughter to visit The Farm the end of the month.  And it's mother's day and my missionary son will be calling.  And my married son will be visiting for mother's day weekend.  And I don't have many air miles left.  And....then I remembered my father's 80th birthday celebration.  And I didn't go.  I felt horrible the day of the dinner. Living 1500 miles away from my parents and alot of my family, I miss a lot of celebrations and get-togethers.  And I wasn't going to miss this one.

I have so many thoughts about Sweet Fringe Benefits today...I'm probably going to refer to my mother's 90th birthday several times this week. Today's sfb of being 49 years old is regret.  Sounds crazy right?  But if I hadn't remembered the regret I felt about not being at my father's birthday celebration, I'm not sure I would have taken the plunge and bought my ticket.  And I think this concept applies to many aspects of a 49 year old's life.  I can't change the past.  I can't have a redo. But I can act differently now because of regret or stupid decisions I've made in the past.  And as a result, I experienced a change of heart.  A change in viewpoint.  A change in outlook towards my siblings and parents.  Thank heavens I'm 49 years old.  

Outfit of the Day:  JCrew Factory yellow cardigan, JCrew Factory green v-neck t-shirt, JCrew Factory navy/pink trellis print pencil skirt, Born lime green sandals, Talbots white flower statement necklace.  I love all the bright colors...and figured I could pull it off because of the navy skirt.

Thank you again to all of my readers.  Whether it's a daily email you receive (you can enter your email on the right to receive the blog post each morning) or an occasional checking in, I appreciate your support.  I do hope that finding the Sweet Fringe Benefits in your life is as life changing as it has been to mine.  And, if you're feeling kind of frumpy and out of sync, trying getting dressed and presentable every day...even when the only "to do" is a trip to the grocery store.  That helps too!

Nanette