looking back before looking ahead

I have exactly 30 days until the digits on the analog clock that is my life turn from twos to threes. How is it possible one person can accomplish so much in one decade? It doesn't seem like yesterday as some might claim. It seems like a lifetime ago.
 Ten years ago I was taking English classes while working in a diner waiting for my life to begin. I couldn't fathom that it was moving, just slow to start. It was a lifetime ago when Lear asked me to profess my love. When I discovered the joys of Sam Cooke, and the honor that lies within a man's name. The Bard and I were introduced as I learned technique, terms and theory. Never imagining what I was really learning was empathy. Knowing what it is to be human is the mark of a good actor. How to perform it was secondary.
    It was a lifetime ago I walked to rehearsals in the snow, among the light of Carver hall. Making friends in a space that no longer exists except within our minds. I've walked the streets of London, drove a car through County Wicklow, became hopelessly lost in Paris. Hung over ancient cliffs with my best friend and drove thousands of miles just myself and my silly old bear. I have met so many people and made so many friends. Some are here for awhile, some were temporary but all just as necessary for my story to unfold.  Funny how that works.
    I have known the weight of grief, the height of joy and the peaks and valleys that lie between. I am not ashamed to say I have embraced each emotion with wild abandon. Some perhaps for far too long. But each pain and joy is a bristle on the brush I paint my life with. A picture that comes into focus the longer I work away at it. I have lived more in the past ten years then many individuals do in their entire lives. I often stop and think how incredibly fortunate I am.
    Being a "woman of a certain age", I get asked a lot if I'm dating anyone and the answer is yes. Sometimes we stay in and watch netflix, sometimes we go out and drink good wine when my paycheck allows it. Most recently we spend our time writing papers and reading text books. We have excellent taste in friends, make plans as it suits us and sleep sideways in the bed. I'm dating myself and it has been pretty serious for awhile now. I can say with a happy heart that I have never loved her more than I do right now.  30! Oh how excited I am to see you! We are starting it off right. A cross-atlantic visit from a VIP, Orlando to finally attend Hogwarts with some of the most important people in my world,  my last summer working with three of my most favorite children. Camogie matches, bike rides, camping trips and two classes that are going to kick my butt. Beyond the immediate future, there are endless possibilities. An open road map with my faith as my compass, a fluffy cat and a silly old bear to bring up the rear. Welcome 30, we're going to have such lovely adventures!