I turn 28 today, but I honestly don’t feel that old. Or maybe 28 doesn’t feel that old to anyone, but somehow I thought that I would be less forgetful, more deliberate, and at a point in my life where I had sage wisdom to offer someone “much” younger than I. But I am not there yet, and probably never will.

It is funny to look back at the plans that we make for ourselves. Who we think we will become as we age and what our lives will look like. While a birthday can be an annual reminder of the things we have yet to accomplish or things we haven’t gotten around to, this year, I am taking another approach. Rather than seeing the items that have not checked off my bucket list, I am smiling at those things that never made it on the list and celebrating the experiences that I could not have foreseen.

Today, as I begin my 28th year, I am overwhelmed with the gratitude that I get to build my life with an amazing woman and am thankful for what 2012, and the years prior, have offered us. Instead of worrying about who I might become, I am happy with who I am. Because when I look back, I know it has been good.

Kendi and I live in a beautiful part of Texas: the Hill Country. Doesn’t that name just bring about all sorts of warm feelings inside? I bet you think that we wake up every morning with our cup of coffee and look out over the hills as the sun rises shedding light on the dew-stained grass and we high five each other because it’s another beautiful day. Well, we do, but most of the time I forget how pretty our surroundings are.

This past weekend, Kendi and I spent time out the retreat center, where I worked every weekend for the good part of two years, facilitating retreats. But this time we were the guests. I immediately remembered the wonder I had felt the first time I saw the place, being overwhelmed by the beauty of nature. Everything seemed saturated in color, exaggerated in a way, almost as if nature was bragging. I immediately started to snap photo after photo this weekend. And then it struck a chord with me — that  even though I saw this place more times than I saw my own home, I became numb to the beauty. But the good news is that the beauty never left, even if I had ignored it for some time. I’m so glad I was reminded of that again.