I’ve had so many thoughtful comments from yesterday’s Birthday Reflections blog that I’d like to summarise a few that resonated with me – learning to practice gratitude and appreciation (especially in difficult situations), letting go of being tied to pre-planned outcomes, becoming more comfortable in your skin, that hope is a doing word, that you have the ability to command anything – think good thoughts, speak good words, take good actions, and the importance of sometimes giving up what would be easier for you to help out a friend. Thank you for taking the time to share your life lessons! On a lighter note, today I’m sharing how I celebrated my special day. I loved it – not because I did anything spectacular, but because of its simplicity.

FIVE Ways I Celebrated My Birthday

1/ A run, of course! We left the house at 06:15 so we could drop the kids at school a bit earlier, and then hit the road. I specifically chose Central Gaborone as many of the Jacaranda trees are out in full bloom now. It’s been so hot the last few weeks and this morning was no different. From the school, we headed onto Independence Drive, navigating our way round that area, through the Main Mall and back again, for a total of 42-minutes. Given my recent running hiatus, it felt great to return to the road especially with the Jacarandas lining the streets.

2/ Breakfast at the Daily Grind. The Daily Grind is my favourite place to eat because they are so gluten-free conscious, thus greatly expanding what I can eat on the menu. I ordered the Smashed Avocado on Toast which comes with blistered cherry tomatoes, pickled fennel, crumbled feta, baby spinach, sumac, north African dukkha and aged balsamic syrup. That, and a big cappuccino, both went down very well after my morning run.

3/ Got My Nails Done! From here, I went straight to Dee’s Nails located in Craft Market where I had an appointment with the lovely Mighty. I’ve long seen their work on social media but never been. I figured today would be a great day to try them out and I chose a colour I wouldn’t normally. I absolutely love how they turned out! Mighty was such a delight to spend an hour with – very gentle, calm and gracious. I then headed to the office feeling like a million dollars.

4/ Being a Proud Softball Mum. My daughter was selected for her school’s U11 softball team – whoop, whoop! Her first ever match was today at 13:30 against another primary school. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my lunch break. She was playing at first base and did really well. Huge bonus? Our school won! But even if they hadn’t, the kids had so much fun and looked so happy! And as for us parents, it was so great to finally be on the school campus and watch the kids play (we haven’t been allowed on campus for most of the pandemic).

5/ A Trip to My Favourite Place! I’m a stationery nerd so I popped into TYPO in Airport Junction for a quick visit and left with some scented highlighters, a new journal and as a bonus, I bought a box with 30 positive affirmation cards. Plus, I threw in a passion-flower scented candle because…well, it just seemed to signify a fresh start.

I ended the day with a simple barbeque at home, followed by a delicious gluten-free cake by Alice. It was the perfect end to a great day and I’m looking forward to the year ahead. Thank you for all the birthday messages on the blog and social media, for the calls and surprise visits from friends and family with flowers and gifts. You all made me feel so special!

I’m so excited to be linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida for Fit Five Friday.