A tropical storm made its way into Georgia as my 24^th birthday approached. With my birthday being on a Tuesday, I had no plans for the actual say other than to be at work. However, this tropical storm gave me the gift of a day off from work. While I was able to have the day to myself, any of the roads surrounding my apartment were still closed to clean up trees that had fallen in the surrounding areas.

So, what did I do on my birthday? I spent the entire day in my apartment.

I spent my 23^rd birthday at a concert and the next day nursing a lost voice and skipping graduate school classes to renew my then expired license. In comparison, I know this sounds like the most uneventful birthday, but this day to myself was actually one of my favorite birthdays to date. During the past year, I had been so busy finishing my last year of graduate school and starting a new job that I had not really had any time to get really spend with myself as I adjusted to my new schedule. A personal day was honestly different but needed.

Since I had a day to myself, I thought about all the things that I used to tell myself in grad school that I would do if I had a free day to myself. Instead of wishing to do those things, I decided to do them. Since starting work, I had not taken advantage of this time like I thought I would and had just been bringing work home, when I recognized was not beneficial to my personal growth.

I woke up, cooked myself breakfast, and ate it sitting down at my table. It is always a personal victory when I can sit down in my home at my table and enjoy a meal. I usually meal prep over the weekend and grab a container of a pre-portioned breakfast in the morning to eat at my desk in my office. After breakfast, I did a morning yoga video, finally making use of a mat that I have owned for about 5 years, which was relaxing and put me in a good mood for the next few days. I always say that I want to make a daily habit but am still working on the discipline needed to do so. One of my best friends called, and we spent the day chatting about how we were both finally 24 and what were looking forward too. Afterwards, my mom called, and I spoke with her for a while. I enjoy journaling and try to make a practice of doing this weekly, so I spent some time journaling and reflecting on the ups and downs of year 23 along with what I want to see in 24. I read my devotional and even spent some time leisure reading “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes Are High”, which I had been struggling to make time for during my regular days. It has been a goal for me to do more self-investment through reading. The most important thing that I did was spend time with God praying and reading His Word. Being done with the journey of school and looking ahead to the journey of finally engaging everything else that life has to offer, getting the year off to a good foundation with God for me was a priority.

After doing all of this, I began to prepare for my first in my series of Georgia 7 Natural Wonder visits. I had decided that I would spend year 24 exploring my home state of Georgia since I found myself living here as a full-time professional and an adult in my own right instead of a child in my parents’ home or a student in school. With all of this, I even took a nap in the middle of the day! Even though I was not out anywhere and spent the day doing regular things, this combination of activities was for the benefit of my mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being. This is what made my day and set the tone for the year ahead of me.

As I reflect on this day, I think about two things.

1. The ability to find peace in the midst of a storm.
2. Any situation can be positive or negative based on perspective.

While there was a literal storm raging around me, I was able to find peace with myself for my birthday by seeing this as an opportunity and spending time with myself simply doing the things that I enjoy. As I transitioned into a new year, this was especially important for me to start some things that I hoped to make habits in this new year. While it was my birthday when this occurred, it does not have to be your birthday to be able to make some time to do something for your well-being. While these things are never done perfectly, it is never to late to do something for the benefit of yourself and keep these habits in mind.

What is something that you have always wanted to do in your spare time?

What is stopping you from doing that thing?

What is a small step that you can take today to reach that goal?