Does anyone else know where March went? I know people have always said time speeds up as you age, but I swear I just shared my last post, blinked, and now here we are at the almost end of the month which also happens to be, speaking of aging, my 40th birthday. For a moment I entertained the thought of putting up a 40 Lessons Learned post like I did for my 30th (because I have indeed been blogging for just over 10 years now) but two things stopped me: 1) I do those lists of 25 things now each year and that’s enough lists for me, and 2) also true to other aging lessons I’ve heard from others, the older I get, the more I know I don’t know (and that’s OK!). So instead, I have a bookend post to accompany the start of the month that came in all lion energy and roar-y….

The good news is, the old wives’ tale rings true, if not for our upside down weather, then how things are going for me in several facets of life that are indeed more lamb-like now as March comes to a close.

The first update is on my headaches: I’m tracking those in connection to my cycle now, upping my acupuncture game in the coming weeks, and working the heck out of my liver energy lines and my irritability/anger (which is going to sound very woo woo to some but rings very true to what I need).

This brings me to the second update: anxiety meds. It really has taken the majority of the month to get to a good place with my new med. I had to switch when I was taking it to combat sleep troubles caused by the medicine and then give my body time to recover/adjust and finally, just this week, I am really seeing some signs of hope that this is the right medicine for me.

The timing on this leveling out is incredibly well placed because of the third update, previously not discussed on the blog because it’s been happening in the just recent weeks, but I’ve been going through some testing for calcifications found in both breasts at my “Welcome to 40” first/second mammograms conducted this month. This past Wednesday I had to have one breast biopsied to see if those cells are precancerous which I will find out in the next week. This has been challenging on several levels but I’ve had a lot of good support, worked with very kind medical providers, and am feeling more peace now that the procedure is done and results are coming soon. The second side will be monitored again in six months. I realize it’s probably surprising that I can look at something like this in a “lamb mentality” but that’s perhaps the biggest indicator that I am in fact on the right anxiety med. The nerves are still there but they aren’t controlling the narrative as much as they have in recent years.

So yes – here’s to 40. The last year in particular has been such a roller coaster of health and emotions, and, quite frankly, I am grateful to even be here to see my 40th. There’s no shame or darkness associated with this age for me and I plan to spend the rest of my day curled up with a good book in the sun because true to the name of the blog, I really am part lizard, now in the sense of longing most days to soak up as much sun as I can because it feeds my soul and is yet another gift on this ride called life.