Looking Back & Moving Forward: My Birthday Reflections in 2024
I celebrated my birthday recently and it was honestly one of the best ones to date! I brought it in the only way I know how these days… slowly, mindfully, and creatively. For a recap on how I celebrated, click here.
Leading up to my birthday, I was focused on soaking in all the yumminess there was left of my 36th trip around the sun. It was a phenomenal year. I adopted a vegan lifestyle, decided to go alcohol-free, and gave myself a year and a half to pay off $60,000 worth of student loans (clears throat, I’m almost done!)
Those lifestyle changes have meant that my life looks differently these days… I socialize differently, have found new and creative ways to spend quality time with friends, I manage money differently, and I’m learning new ways to exist in the world that still honor my new diet and choice to be alcohol free.
Transparently, I started this journey for health reasons. I had to have a LEEP procedure done to remove abnormal cells from my cervix and really just wanted to give my body the support and fuel it needed to heal. I’m usually pretty private about the whole experience, but want to mention it as a way to advocate for the importance of women having their Pap smears done annually. Cervical cancer is preventable with regular monitoring and early intervention, so please make sure to have yours done as scheduled and remind a girlfriend and/or family member too.
So yes, this started for health reasons, but what I didn’t expect was the spiritual growth I would experience on this path. Yoga, meditation, journaling, walking meditations, and spiritual development have all become sacred parts of my self-care routine this year. The mental clarity, groundedness, and self-certainty that I’ve gained have been life-changing. I’ve tapped into a whole new world that I don’t even have language to describe yet, but I’m fascinated and have enjoyed the journey.
I’m also learning Spanish which has been such a brilliant experience! I get so excited when I learn new words and phrases. To see that I’m ACTUALLY learning the language is rewarding. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while and through the Language Transfer platform, it’s been possible for me to build lessons into my daily schedule.
As I start my 37th year, the Lauren I know today is the most authentic version I’ve known to date. I’m so thankful for the way life has unfolded and led me here. I came home to myself within the last year and so I will cherish that journey, always!
-XOXO, Lauren