4th of July Celebration

Being Danish and living in Denmark I don’t celebrate the 4th of July, but watching all of the preparations (especially on SoMe) by American families got me in a celebrating mood.

This 4th of July, I will also be celebrating; I’ll celebrate everything good in my life so far.

I’ll celebrate waking up every day feeling grateful for everything I have, despite being broke after quitting my job and spending my savings on education.

I celebrate the love of my life, introverted like myself, and the one person who truly gets me. The man with no kids of his own but the world’s most excellent grandfather, who didn’t know just how much he was able to love a feral cat until he brought Laurits Jensen home from the shelter. He’s my best friend, who believes in me and always has my back.

I celebrate being Anton’s mom. My 21-year-old son with the biggest heart means the world to me. He was always the one who would stop in the middle of a soccer game to check if someone was hurt, and he’s still that person today. Being his mother makes me more proud than anything, I’ve accomplished in this lifetime.

I’ll celebrate that I have a family and friends who love me and who are always rooting for me.

I’ll celebrate myself for having the courage to quit my job after 13 years because I just knew that there’s something else out there for me — and as I’m writing this, I’m starting two businesses while preparing for writing a book for someone I met a few months ago by chance.

I’ll celebrate that I started this writing journey at the age of 51 and that I begin every morning with a walk, listening to a podcast while learning even more about myself.

I’ll celebrate that I’ve found my Ikigai, the purpose of my life, and ever since, everything has become so easy.

This 4th of July it’s 21 days since my first post on Medium, and I count 99 followers; I appreciate every single one of you, and I follow you back.

I have visited everybody’s profile but I still have a lot of reading to do; some of you had me staying for a while, reading more than just the one post, I came for, so I have many re-visits to look forward to, as I plan to read and comment on every one of my followers’ profiles (not every post, though).

I really appreciate those of you who take a minute to educate a newbie on the appropriate way to be on Medium, e.g. how to clap (I had no idea), and I also celebrate posts that lead the way to communities within Medium — I’ll mention those in a future shout-out.

To my 99 followers, thank you so much for sticking around, once you found me. I promise that I, eventually, will write something profoundly insightful, so you won’t regret being here.

Indigo, George Hajal, Hollogo Business Inc, Linda Kowalchek, Holly Jahangiri, Rip Parker, Alex Raymond, Carel Kolchinski, Lara Manetta, Bicho DoMato, Mark Godfrey, Zowina, Beck & Bulow, Francis Lee, J. Andrew, Harmony S, Noelle R. Beauregard, Robert James Karpie, Jennifer Thompson, Shane Peterson, Trevor D, Patrick OConnell, Muhammad Fazal, The Digital Duke, Carmellita, Laurel B. Miller, Joseph Charles Naoum, Daniel Perez, Misha Malik, Sean Donovan, Claudiu, Spyder Darling, Pierre Matile, The Octogig, Kayla Tackett, Xavier Navarro, Jerry Dwyer, Yen Hoang, Mark Suroviec, M. Ed., Dee Wilson, Daniel Mesa, Gundega Tupiņa, John Douglas Porter, Kimberlee Jakobe, Judy Derby, Ordinary Dude, CA Jaymes, Gustavo Gallina, Colette Langley, Aesthetic Symbols, SambiatB, Saam Gatsheni, Kels, David McCalley, Inca McCarter, John Ramos, Mind-Squared, Ingerul Pierdut, Dana Leigh Lyons, Valeri Speights, Rebecka Rose, Dr. Tim Lewis, Shaheer Gharay, Alain Polo, Mona Lazar, Cher Hin Chong, Tasminwing, Luna Reimer, Jenny, Gloria Song, Rania Alj, Tecmeup — Crypto, Clifford Surncey Jr., Ilam Padmanabhan, Imrezev, Daniela Zamudio, Kacie, Laura Knapke, Billy Jones, Bill Abbate, Bridget E Webber, Wire Editor Newman, Aamir Kamal, Rose Anne, Nikolaos Skordilis, Thedadtrepreneurproject, Mickey Mellen, Shikha Saxena, Gabrielle Nardo, Ed Benjamin, Daniel Yoo, Pranol Mathew, Randomhand, May Y. Yang, Maleri Sevier, Diana Meresc, Morgan Skye Adessa, Dr. Erlijn van Genuchten, Keith Chen, Eden Dawson, and Michelle Renee Kidwell