The 9s

This guy is more about the 8's. 

It seems like most people have crisis when they hit the 0 birthdays -- 30, 40, 50 etc.  I seem to have a special relationship with the 9s.  Big things happen the year before the 0 year for me. Something about the build up for the next year, needing to accomplish and prove to myself something or the other before the milestone.  Probably a combination of crisis moments and procrastination.

When I was 19, I got stranded in a snow storm in Alabama.  Had to abandon my car on the side of the road and walk a few miles home in the snow.  Spent my birthday and the whole of my winter break by myself at my parents house without power.  Ate soup from a can, sat by the fireplace, and read the DeCameron for a week. This was the year I realized I was capable of making a change in the world. I campaigned for Clinton, volunteered for a crisis center, met the Dalai Lama, and worked in a German bakery wearing a dirndl.  I also learned to whistle.

Riding the Solvang Century with TNT.

When I was 29, I moved from Boston to California.  Spent a year without a car in Mountain View, trolling the Target as my major form of entertainment.  Graduated from grad school and moved to San Francisco.  This was the year I realized I could survive major change in my world and relationships and come out on the other side of it stronger.  This was also the year I bought a Prius, learned to snowboard and surf, and started running.

[I don't remember what was going on when I was 9.  I think maybe that was when I had surgery on my ears.  And probably was unbearably shy and awkward.]

And now I roll into 39 in a few days. What will the future hold aside from turning 40 at the end of it all?  Just to get things rolling, I got a hair cut! And . . . I have signed up to do the Death Ride with Team in Training in July.  Not only am I committing to raising $5,000 in support of finding a cure for blood cancers, but I am committing to doing something called the DEATH. RIDE. 129 mile bike ride (in one day) and 15,000 feet of climbing over 5 passes in the Sierras.  Might as well embrace the 9's!

Maybe this is the year I can help a patient and his or her family as they battle cancer. Or maybe this is the year we will help to find a cure for blood cancers.  Or maybe this is just going to be the year I conquer some fears and push my limits.  Either way, can you help me get there?

With love and gratitude this holiday season,
Melissa