Spirited Essence Works

Last week, I celebrated my 41st birthday. And what a celebration it was, not just of another year lived, but of another year earned. Birthdays have this magical ability to stop time for just a moment, creating a sacred pause where we can hold our entire story in our hands: the chapters already written and the blank pages still waiting for our pen. But this birthday? This one feels electric with possibility.

41 isn’t just another candle on the cake, it’s practically humming with meaning. In the beautiful art of numerology, 41 breaks down to 5 (4 + 1), and suddenly the universe seems to be whispering secrets about my year ahead. Five is the number of freedom, adventure, and delicious unpredictability…the kind of energy that makes you want to book a spontaneous trip or finally take that painting class you’ve been dreaming about.

But here’s where it gets fascinating: that 4 represents the solid foundation I’ve spent decades building, the deep roots, the hard-won wisdom, the unshakeable core of who I am. The 1? Pure, crackling potential. Independence. The audacity to begin again, no matter how many times we’ve already reinvented ourselves.

Together, these numbers are like a cosmic permission slip: Honor your foundation, but don’t let it become a cage. You have wings and use them.

Our 40s are having a moment, and rightfully so. We’re the generation that’s rewriting the script on what it means to be “middle-aged” (a term that feels increasingly meaningless). This isn’t middle anything, this is our second bloom, and it’s spectacular.

Think about it: we’ve survived our 20s (barely), navigated our 30s with varying degrees of grace, and emerged in our 40s with something invaluable…perspective. We’ve loved and lost, succeeded spectacularly and failed beautifully. We’ve learned that resilience isn’t about never falling down; it’s about developing an increasingly graceful way of getting back up.

The storms we’ve weathered haven’t just made us stronger, they’ve made us more interesting. Every laugh line tells a story. Every gray hair is a badge of wisdom. Every scar is proof that we’re warriors who chose to keep fighting for joy, even when life got messy.

But here’s what I find most thrilling about our 40s: we’re done apologizing for taking up space. We’re done shrinking ourselves to fit into boxes other people built. We know our worth, and we’re not negotiating on it anymore.

At 41, I’m choosing to see this year as my year of renewal, but not in the gentle, gradual way I might have approached change in my younger years. This is renewal with intention, with fire, with the kind of clarity that comes from finally understanding that our time and energy are finite resources that deserve to be invested wisely.

I’m shaking off what no longer serves me with the enthusiasm of a dog after a bath. Those relationships that drain more than they give? Thank you for the lessons, but we’re done here. The career obligations that feel like wearing shoes two sizes too small? Time to find a better fit. The habits that made sense five years ago but now feel like carrying around extra weight? Consider them jettisoned.

This isn’t about becoming someone new, it’s about becoming more authentically me. It’s about finally having the courage to live in alignment with my values instead of my fears.

The beautiful paradox of turning 41 is that I simultaneously know so much more than I used to, and am completely comfortable admitting how much I still don’t know. It’s liberating in a way my 25-year-old self could never have imagined.

I know what makes me come alive: deep conversations that stretch past midnight, books that challenge my worldview, adventures that pushes me out of my comfort zone, people who laugh at my terrible jokes and call me on my nonsense in equal measure.

I know what my non-negotiables are: kindness, authenticity, growth, and the kind of love that makes you want to be the best version of yourself.

I know that saying “no” to good things leaves room for great things.

But I also know that life is beautifully, terrifyingly unpredictable. That the best plot twists are often the ones we never see coming. That sometimes the doors we thought we wanted opened lead to rooms we don’t want to enter, while the paths we were afraid to take lead to the most extraordinary destinations.

I don’t have all the answers and maybe that’s not just okay, maybe it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be. Instead of answers, I have something better…readiness.

Readiness to grow, even when growth feels uncomfortable. Readiness to love deeper, even when love feels risky. Readiness to laugh louder, even when the world feels heavy. Readiness to chase the things that set my soul on fire, even when I can’t see the finish line.

Readiness, I’m learning, is a superpower. It’s the difference between being a passenger in your own life and being the one holding the steering wheel, radio cranked up, windows down, singing along to your favorite song.

Here’s to 41! A year that promises to be beautifully contradictory:

To stability and beginnings, having roots deep enough to weather any storm, and wings strong enough to soar toward new horizons.

To reflection and readiness, honoring the wisdom of our past while keeping our hearts wide open to the magic of what’s next.

To roots and wings, staying grounded in our values while giving ourselves permission to fly.

As I blew out the “1” candle on my coffee cake (which thank you Lori for being so sweet to make gluten free and homemade), I made a wish. Not for a specific outcomes, but for the courage to remain open. Open to possibility, to growth, to love, to adventure, to becoming whoever I’m meant to become next.

Because here’s what 41 years of living has taught me: the best stories are rarely the ones we plan. They’re the ones that unfold when we’re brave enough to say yes to the unexpected, wise enough to trust our instincts, and bold enough to believe that our most extraordinary chapters might still be unwritten.

The best is still unfolding and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Here’s to 41: to the courage to bloom again, the wisdom to trust the process, and the audacity to believe that our most beautiful becoming is still ahead of us.