What you see is what you get
January 19, 2013 * * * * * Posted by: Susan 
I celebrated another birthday yesterday ... well, for a few days really, you know how we believe that everyone should have a whole week!
The thing I’ve been thinking about is that I like this woman now. I spent a lot of time trying to be a different kind of person, trying to fit in and trying to blend into the background at the same time, trying to find my way and trying to understand life. Now I see it pretty much for what it was~ childhood ~ and all that comes with that and from that.
This woman who sits with you today has a heart as big as the mountain that she lives by and is working on having a forgiving nature, looking for a balance with the warrior side. She has a shy but quick smile to greet any and all sharing her space but a habit of protecting that space when needed. She is a very good listener and an elder who feels confident in the advice she offers.
This gal loves hot, spicy food, cold beer, rock & roll and slow dancing with her honey. But also has a deep regret that the chance to live close to grandkids never happened and hopes that there will be developing relationships to come with these young adults.
This is a woman who loves color, who gets emotional with certain combinations of turquoise, reds and golds
but tends to wear shades of grey, brown and black with her daily jeans and boots, maybe a bit of sage green sometimes, always silver earrings! If her friends were ask to describe her the first word would probably be quiet, but really, it’s more of a sense of choosing words wisely and being selective about conversations ~
there can be some whooping it up when that cold beer & rock music are flowing!
And this woman likes being of this certain age ~ 63 years young, as they say ~ and looks forward to obtaining more wisdom and grace, hope and understanding.
Reader Comments (23)
well all i can say is that I think you have a wonderful life and i wish you lived in my town :)
I love the number of us who have birthdays around now. Am I right in thinking we share ours?
The woman I see in this image is a woman I would love to know, and the more I read, the better I liked her. Silver earrings? Of course, the very best kind. I hope that your birthday was full of love and magic as mine was. More wisdom, grace, hope and understanding are wonderful aspirations. I hope you don't mind, but I am going to borrow them too.
Happy Birthday - I know it has passed but this is a chance to have another littled belated celebration. Enjoy your life and your contentment with the you that you have become.
This woman - who you are so articulately describing - is brave and beautiful and awesome!!! Here's to 63...and a happy happy (belated) birthday!!!
I looked into your portrait for such a long time. Your piece today has really drawn me in and I am still very thoughtful about you and al of us at this certain age. You sum it up very well when you say it's who we are TODAY.....that is very liberating. I think what I am left with is a strong sense of your freedom as a woman and how easily you sit in your own skin......inspired by your openness and care of yourself and the world around you...and so very cool!! Thanks and Happy Birthday again:~))
Love your self-description, so tender, respectful and honest. Beautiful portrait. Happy Birthday, wishing you all the best, hope you will obtain what you are looking for
Choosing words carefully is very wise thing and you've chosen them well in your description of yourself. Happy 63 Susan and many many more happy birthdays!
WOW! There's a whole lot to like about "This Woman!" Happy, happy birthday. Keep on whooping it up with that cold beer and dancing.
First of all, what a beautiful portrait! It reflects the wonderful woman that you describe and shows that inner peace that you have achieved. What a lovely post and you inspire me to be more accepting of who I am and to appreciate the history that has made me the woman that stands before the mirror today! Thank you!
I sense that your journey from childhood to being who you are is a journey similar to that of all of us. There is so much wisdom in what you say about where your life has brought you...I love this post! And this image of you, as you are, is beautiful.
You are beautiful! I'm going to take note of your regret so that I won't have the same. Thank you! And happy birthday.
No way 63....you sit before us an amazing woman who is on a similar journey so many of us are on...we wish you well and Happy Birthday!!
Having seen your own blog post first with the progression in images of who you have become over the years, It is even more special to fiind you here in TODAY'S portrait, describing yourself to us. It would make a good exercise for all of us, to write a short character study of who we see ourselves to be. I love it, Susan, that you are here amongst us, living your life to the hilt. Happy, happy birthday again and again...until the next one!
Love this Susan! You've embraced who you are - what you have to offer, your strengths and vulnerabilities. And you rock the silver! Wish we were all closer to have celebrated with you. And I love the distinction you made between being quiet to merely choosing what you say carefully. I fall in that mind/heart set too.
Wishing you a whole year ahead to celebrate!
what is see is pure beauty, inside and out.
happy, happy birthday to you... wishing you a year filled with love and smiles, dancing and rock and roll, quiet and wisdom.
~ deep sigh ~ What a pure pleasure to come back here this evening and read all your heart felt comments. I sincerely thank each and every one of you for the beautiful birthday wishes but I thank you even more for making this very special space where we can feel so safe and secure. I never would have thought that I could have this feeling of confidence in sharing so much but here it just feels right ... you are all women of my heart.
Oh, and Soosie, we do share the exact same date! And surrounded by so many other amazing Capricorns! Two I just found out about, Michelle O. and Kevin Costner (swoon!) I've always thought this was a great month to have a birthday!
Susan, belated happy birthday! I'm also Capricorn and a friend of mine once told me that Capricorns are the younger the older they get. I loved that! :)
I enjoyed reading how you see yourself. I find many of your features to be mine too. Is it that Capricorn thing?? :) My attention was caught by the description given possibly by your friends of you being quiet. My experience is that being quiet is very suspicious to others. People often think it is a sign of being dumb, conceited or slow, of having nothing to say or sitting on both sides of the fence... I really hate that attitude.
wow, I like this woman, too:)
my heart stands up and cheers for her
and looks forward excited to all the beauty
still waiting to find her.
may all your days be peace, dear one:)
-Jennifer
So many lessons here! What an honor to know you. And I too adored the progression of images you shared on your site. BEAUTIFUL!
... and I like this woman, too!
I love this photo of yourself, Susan - you're beautiful!
I see a beautiful, wise, young woman who is comfortable in her skin. Happy Birthday :-)
I love your expression and attitude in this photo! Once again Susan, I can relate so well to what you've written, except the part about being confident in advising others. I am also called quiet so often that it kind of bugs me. They should have seen me in my school years. In comparison I'm downright chatterboxish now. But only if the conversation interests me. There are a lot of dull talkers out there. ;)
If you lived close by,I have a feeling we could have "interesting" conversations. By the way, music is playing in my living room and I'm standing and grooving and swaying as I type this. No beer though, just tea. :( And now I need to go check out the blog post that Ginnie mentioned.