Time For Cake…
…IT’S MY BIRTHDAY
I’ll It’s time for cake… it’s my birthday! (74)
Julia Child once said, “A party without cake is just a meeting.” Thanks to Chef Michele Leao @healthytablebyus, we’re definitely having a celebration! Michele’s Lemon Cake with Cashew Frosting brings together simple, functional ingredients in a delicious blend. This gluten-free, refined sugar-free creation uses chickpeas and cashews for natural protein, while fresh lemon and zest add brightness to every bite.
Recipe… Lemon Cake with Vanilla Cashew Frosting
This year, I’m not making resolutions or setting rigid goals. Instead, I’m listening to something deeper – a trajectory toward what feels peaceful, joyful, and freeing. I’ve started asking myself a different kind of question: What can I let go of to make space for more of what lights me up?
For me, that means no more solo television watching (actually check back… maybe I’ll just cut back) And suddenly, there’s this beautiful spaciousness – room for salsa dancing with friends, for conversations that energize me, for mornings that unfold with possibility instead of obligation.
Here’s what I’m discovering at 74: We get to design our lives less around obligation and more around resonance. We get to say yes to experiences that align with who we’ve become, not who we used to be. And the courage to let go of what no longer serves us? That actually compounds. We build on decades of lived experience, allowing each adventure – big or small – to deepen us rather than distract us.
The miles we’ve traveled aren’t something to hide. They’re something to honor. They’re the story, the texture, the evidence that we’ve not only lived, but learned.
Looking ahead, I’m stepping into this new year with the same enthusiasm and zest for life that has carried me through seven wonderful decades plus 4. These connections I share – through family, friends, and our community – continue to grow in importance especially with two grandchildren
Because my birthday falls mid-December, with only a few weeks left before 2026, this is when I start reflecting – in those quiet moments between the festivities – on what I see for the year ahead.
And here’s what I know: If God gave me one moment that I could stretch out for all eternity, it would be those moments when I feel totally present. No comparisons, no resentments, no regrets, no yearnings. Just the feeling of calm and interconnectedness I have after my morning meditation, after a workout outdoors. Every muscle relaxed, no tension, just this: presence as the ultimate present.
A Harvard scholar once said: If a person, a place, a task, even a thought – especially a thought – if that specific thing feels peaceful and joyful and makes your muscles relax and your face smile spontaneously, do more of it. And if it doesn’t make you feel good? Don’s do it. So simple, so profound. This is how life gets lighter.
Ready to celebrate? Bake this cake. Dance in your kitchen. Do something today that feels free.
With love and so much joy,
Kathy
