When Your Birthday Sneaks Up On You (And Why That’s Not a Bad Thing)

🎂 I turned 55+1 this weekend.

And if you caught Free Coaching Friday, you know the wild part:
I didn’t even remember it was my birthday until the Sunday before when my son reminded me while I was planning dinner for the week.

Not because I’m sad.
Not because I’m overlooked.
Not because “midlife is lonely.”
None of that.

It’s because life is full.
This season moves fast.
And my birthday just… showed up.

And honestly?
That made more sense than anything.

☕ What This Weekend Revealed (And It's Not What You Think)

My kids picked out a pink, sparkly cake with “55+1” across the top - the kind of cake that made me laugh because it was so me.

Not trendy.
Not fancy.
Just “Mom will love this.”

And I did.

Because they know me - the real me - and that matters more than any big, dramatic birthday plan.

That’s when it clicked:

Midlife celebration isn’t about the size of the moment.
It’s about the accuracy of the love.

You don’t need a Bahamas cruise every year (even though last year’s was amazing).
Sometimes you need sushi for lunch, hibachi for dinner, and a sparkly cake that shows your kids actually pay attention.

That kind of celebration hits different.

🎄 The 11-Foot Tree Moment

Saturday we went to get our Christmas tree - and walked out with an 11-footer.

At the tree farm, it looked tall.
In my living room?
It looked like it had its own zip code.

My son — who is 6’1” — did our usual “hand up” height test, and even he gave it the “well… that’s ambitious” look.

Then came decorating:

My daughter balanced on the stairwell ledge like she wasn’t the reason for half my gray hair.
I stepped off a kitchen chair wrong, caught my foot, and went down hard.
My knee is bruised, my shoulder is annoyed, and the tree isn’t even fully fluffed yet.

But you know what?

That whole sequence felt like a snapshot of this season - imperfect, loud, funny, and somehow exactly right.

Because the point wasn’t the tree.
It was being together.
It was choosing tradition.
It was making a memory we’ll definitely laugh about later.

✨ The Real Takeaway: You're Not Fading - You're Evolving

In our 20s and 30s, birthdays were giant productions.

Now?
The shift is subtle but real:

We don’t need one big day to feel seen when we’re living lives that feel more honest the other 364.

That’s growth.

Not “settling.”
Not “shrinking.”
Not “giving up.”

It’s understanding what actually matters in this chapter.

And for me? It looked like:

• a sparkly cake picked with intention

• an oversized Christmas tree

• adult kids coming home for traditions

  

• family time

• a full weekend

• a comfortable, grounded sense of
  “this is my life, and I’m grateful”

That feels better than anything I used to expect decades ago.

✝️ Advent + Midlife + Meaning

We’re in the season of Advent - the season of making room, slowing down, and paying attention.

Not to the big shiny moments.
To the real ones.

And this weekend reminded me:

God often works in the ordinary long before He works in the extraordinary.

Not in cruises.
Not in big productions.
Not in long birthday speeches.

But in:

• family showing up

• laughter in the living room

• a pink glittery cake

• dinner around the table

• decorating a too-big tree

• and being present enough to notice it

That’s where the meaning is.

❤️ For You, If Your Birthday Has Ever Just....Showed Up

Maybe you’ve had a birthday sneak up on you too.

Not because you didn’t care -
but because your life was full, busy, real,
and you were right in the middle of living it.

If that’s you, hear this:

You’re not disappearing.
You’re evolving.

And you’re allowed to redefine celebration in a way that fits your life now.

That’s maturity.
That’s clarity.
That’s growth.

And honestly?
It feels good.

☕ Before You Go

Has a birthday ever snuck up on you - in a way that actually made sense for the season you were in?

I’d love to hear your story.

Fueled by Christ, coffee, and confidence,

— Cheryl 💋

Cheryl Miller
@HeyCherylMiller
Certified Nutrition & Wellness Coach (CNC, CWC)
Helping women stop hiding, start healing, and live unapologetically — fueled by Christ, coffee, and confidence.