At my last birthday, I took stock of a few things I was particularly proud of from the previous year. There are the larger-scale professional and personal successes, of course. However, I was especially excited about the following minor things:
- I can now drink coffee black. Among the handful of reasons I tried to do this: the creamer in my office started tasting weird to me; we buy good quality coffee, and it seemed counterintuitive to brew it and then add coffee creamer; I had access to good espresso and wanted to enjoy it in all its glory; I got the idea that adults drink black coffee. Success! I enjoy black coffee, though still sometimes add cream and sugar.
- I can walk in 3+ inch heels. I love being tall. Eric and I are roughly the same height, so for a while I avoided shoes that made me taller. Between working on a team with many men who stand above six feet and realizing that being taller than my spouse is a non-issue, I decided to figure out how to wear kickass pumps. I now have a few pairs that I love and wear regularly.
- I am good at volleyball. I took volleyball for a few quarters in high school gym class, but usually focused my recreational sports on softball. This past summer, I joined a volleyball league and remembered that, oh hey, I'm good at volleyball and I really love team sports. I'd gotten burned out on softball by the time I turned 16, and it was fun to feel reconnected to athletics in a way I hadn't been in a long time.
