Julia Child is My 40-Something Spirit Animal

A good friend of mine turns 40 tomorrow. On Friday, I joked that she should enjoy her last weekend in her thirties and her response made my day — she said that I am her “40-something spirit animal.” Coming from one of the coolest, smartest hottie moms I know, her comment went beyond complementary, into affirming.

It is nice to know that the effort I put into being my best self is noticed and inspirational, but I do have to work at it. Most mornings I’m up by 4:45 a.m. to workout and have a little quiet time to myself. Then, I walk the pups with my hubby, rain or shine. Bedtime is no later than 10 p.m. I don’t eat what I want, whenever I want. I give myself one splurge meal a week and boy do I make the most of it. I stretch, practice yoga, and pay a trainer to torture me and push me past my comfort zone.

Unlike many other moms, I am unapologetic about investing in myself. My trainer is just one example. I pay a small fortune to keep looking like a natural blonde. Good-fitting gym clothes, regular massages, quality food, therapy when needed are all expenses I’m willing to bear in order to keep my mind and body in good form.

Mostly, it is the changes I’ve made to my mindset and outlook over the years that have made a huge difference. Instead of assuming the worst, I try to see the good in people and give them the benefit of the doubt. I hold my tongue a few seconds longer than I used to, preventing lots of drama. I don’t feel the need to always be right (my husband may disagree with this one). I try to listen versus waiting to talk. I am less impatient, having learned to breath and relax. I now realize no one is trying to f*ck with me, hurt my feelings, or slow me down; we’re all just doing our best. But most importantly, I refuse to believe that the best years are behind me.

It used to be that women in their forties were considered yesterday’s news, but now we have celebrity role models like Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts to remind us that our forties can be fabulous. However, when I thought about who is my 40-something spirit animal, none of those celebs came to mind, Julia Child did.

Julia graduated from Le Cordon Bleu at 38 years old, took nine years to research and write Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and started her TV show at 49. She reinvented herself and found success in her forties. Julia continued her work throughout her 80s and died at 91. She kept improving and never slowed down until the very end.

Doubt that I’ll ever win a Primetime Emmy or be on the cover of Time magazine like Julia, but I do hope to be a published author someday. Instead of waiting for that someday to come, I’ve started writing my wellness book now in my free time. Hopefully it won’t take nine years, but if it does, I know that isn’t the end of the world as long as I’m continuing to move forward.