***
Thank you for dancing so much. You were, what some people would call, a ‘late bloomer’ to the partying phase. While many were trying to sneak into clubs and bars at 16, you enjoyed your youth and really took advantage of Montreal’s nightlife in your early twenties. You were older. Much more comfortable and confident with your body and how you had developed. You didn’t go out every weekend looking for anything. No expectations, you were there to dance and have fun. The bouncers got to know you as a regular and they became your friends, almost a second family you would see weekly. One of them even came to your freaking wedding and told your husband how “Diana would be there every weekend just to dance. She never left with anyone, she was just there to have a good time”. And I’m so proud of you for rocking those heels and enjoying the music as much as you did. Thank you for buying the car of your dreams. You’ve always been a car girl. You appreciated their power, beauty and performance. So when it was time to buy your own for the first time, you really did your homework. Sure, Fiats aren’t the fanciest, fastest or best investment cars (let’s be honest here) but the way you felt when you sat in that car for the first time was worth every penny. You had found a car that really represented who you were. You insisted on it being red, even though the salesman tried convincing you otherwise. And you insisted on it being manual, even though you had no clue how to drive it. That car pushed you SO far outside of your comfort zone and it became a part of you. People knew you as the girl with the red Fiat. And you loved it. Bonus points? It led you to your future husband <3 Thank you for moving out on your own. I know this was a big step. Despite having it good at home, you knew you needed to take this step to further your independence. Thank you for taking this leap of faith in yourself. Yes, you finally learned how to clean a toilet properly. But above that, you learned what it was like to be completely dependent on yourself. No one was going to do anything for you. Every decision you made had a consequence and if you didn’t make a good one, you were the one responsible. Thank you for taking those road trips. Summer 2012 was probably our most iconic year for road trips. We ALWAYS had our suitcase open on our bedroom floor ready for our next adventure. Quebec city, Tremblant, Boston, Cape Cod. It didn’t matter where you were going, it mattered that you went. You had adventures. You met new people. You saw new places. Just you, your bestie and your little red Fiat. Beep beep! Thank you for the friendships you made and the friendships you lost. You’ve met SO many people over the last 10 years. Some friendships you already had but just developed even more. And some friendships you had to chop off when they got too toxic, a cancer eating up who you had worked so hard to become. Thank you for making those hard decisions. You’re better off for it. Thank you for wearing the high heels. You. Are. A. GODESS. Yes yes, here comes Mrs. Vain again. But damn girl, you’re a rock solid 5’9 amazon of a woman and you learned how to walk in those heels with the right mix of determination and grace. You had two shoe closets full to prove it. And don’t forget your years as a curvy model, walking the runway and making heads turn. I am so thankful you did that. Thank you for being a workaholic. When people asked you what you did for a living, you would silently laugh. You worked in higher education by day but by night? You were alllllll over the place! Served and mixed drinks at a bar? You did it. Worked as a waitress during high stakes and high pressure Formula 1 weekends? Done multiple times. Served drinks out of the back of a golf cart during golf tournaments? Been there! Opened doors for a VIP valet car service? Done that! Sold salads out of the trunk of your car? Random, but yes, DONE! Used cake pan molds to build diaper cakes and then dressed them up with tutus and tiaras? You know it! Made little girl’s dreams come true as a birthday party hostess? You know you killed that one! These “evening” jobs were where you really became YOU. So a big big thank you for that. Thank you for seizing the job opportunities. And on that note, thank you for never letting your age determine your ability. Were you the youngest Admissions Officer at a private college in Quebec? Yes. Were you scared shitless? Also yes. Did you succeed? YES. And now you’re probably thinking to yourself, “but Diana, I left that job after less than a year because I didn’t want it…how is that being successful?!”. Well, you knew what you were worth, you knew what you were willing to give and you also stood up for yourself when you realized you were in an environment that didn’t do ANYTHING for your mental and physical health. So yes, you should call that a damn success. Because just a year after that, you used that experience to get a job at one of the best universities in Canada. And now that job? You gave yourself fully to that job and never looked back. That job is why you’re able to come home every night and spend time with your husband and child. That job is what fosters the perfect work life/balance that you needed to become who you are today. Thank you for not moving 300 miles away for a boy who didn’t know your worth. Did he challenge you? Yes. Was he cute? Duh. Was he worth it? Abso-fucking-lutely not. Thank you for removing those rose-coloured glasses and realizing that you deserved to be chased. You deserved to be respected. You deserved so much better. But this was the best learning opportunity for you, and you didn’t even know it. It gave you the clarity to see what true love is really like when it finally hit you. Don’t have any regrets Diana, because that path led you exactly to where you needed to be.***
The bottom line. I’m not going to lie, heading into your 30s is a scary thought. You’ve changed and experienced so much over the last decade and you know that the unknown is really really scary. Although I see the next ten years as your “motherly” years (and I have nothing wrong with that), will it be more? Will you develop into an even stronger and more passionate version of yourself? Will you develop new habits? Will you visit new places? Will you still be as happy as you are today? Let’s find out.