Birthday Adventures…Why celebrate one day when you can have a birthday month?
I have always loved adventures. I remember being a child and wanting to explore, wanting to see what was out there and always asking why things were the way they were. While I was cautious and don’t like to be scared, I did want to go do things, try things and see things. I couldn’t wait to “escape” the small bubble of the town I lived in. While life did keep me in the town/city I grew up in, my adventurous spirit never went away. I always found ways to travel and see and do different things. In 2006 while my career was taking off and I had a beautiful young child, I became very sick. I had the strangest symptoms, that no one and I mean no one could explain. I went for doctor to doctor looking for an answer to why I was tired, why my legs and arms were numb, why I was slurring my words, why I was having memory trouble. It wasn’t until April of 2007 that I heard the words “YOU have MS.” While I was relieved to know why I was having the symptoms I was having it was overwhelming to know that it was caused by Multiple Sclerosis. I started off on a new adventure that year…the adventure of figuring out how to live my life with MS. MS is a neurological disease that effects the brain, spinal cord and optical nerve. At the time I was diagnosed medicines were limited and research was still ongoing. I spent 2007 navigating my symptoms, my diagnosis and becoming involved in the National MS Society.
2010 Starting line of the BPMS150-LaGrange, Texas
In 2008, I finally had a grip on how to navigate life with MS and I decided I was not going to let MS stop me from doing all the things I loved doing. So in 2008 I decided I was going to celebrate life not just on one day but all 31 days of my birthday month. I decided to to start blogging before blogging was a thing, so I guess really I was journaling LOL. I decided that each day I had to try a new thing whether it was simple like trying a new food or drink or something totally out of my comfort zone and adventurous. I gave myself rules (I mean I am a Leo and I love to have rules and structure, but lets be honest I also like to test the boundaries of those rules.) which included the following:
I had to do something new everyday for 31 days.
In order for the “new” thing to count, I couldn’t repeat it (well I could do it again, but it wouldn’t count for a new thing for a birthday month).
I had to journal/blog about it and write down the memory in hopes that I would be able to go back and reminence about the adventure if and when my MS flared up.
I had to encourage others to get out and try new things with me.
Now for the most part these rules were easy to follow or so I thought. I would soon learn finding new things to do everyday for 31 days was not only a challenge but it also could get expensive. So I adopted a 5th rule.
5. Engage others to give me ideas for things to do during birthday month and look for the most economical way of doing the “new” thing.
In 2015 life threw me another curve ball with the words “you have cancer.” Now everyone’s cancer journey is different, every ones way of dealing with those words is different. I have learned that no matter what type of cancer someone is diagnosed with those 6 letters that make up the one word can take your breath away. It can stop you in your tracks and it can make you re-evaluate everything you do. Well for me it made me want to see and do more than I had ever wanted to before. I was more determined to get out and see the world. I wanted to make sure I inspired others to see the world for what it was, truly amazing… Over the years I have been blessed to do so many exciting things. I still celebrate birthday month every year and I am happy to say I have learned a lot about myself, I have tried LOTS of new things (some I will do again and some I will absolutely NOT be doing again LOL) and I have met extraordinary people along the way. These posts and me starting my business, LH World Travel are my way of living life, share my passion for travel and for living with the world. Each year I start a new list of “new things” and I can’t wait to celebrate life during birthday month! Every day that I am alive and on this beautiful planet is a good day but every day of birthday month is an ADVENTURE!
