Lost and found at 40
The garlic is in, the tomatoes are starting to ripen, and the herbs are threatening to flower if I don’t hurry up and do a second harvest. It must be August.
In Maine, the beginning of August generally means that the older maples start sending up warning flags that fall is approaching more quickly than you think. Scorching hot days that flip into sweatshirt worthy nights are the norm, and impromptu farm stands sprout up every few miles on main thoroughfares, set up in the back of people’s trucks or on rickety card tables with honor boxes. Everyone knuckles down to squeeze every last bit of goodness and productivity out of summer before we really have to start getting ready for the long winter months.
August is also my birthday month, and there’s a particular buzz to this August as I have started the final count down to my 40th birthday. I’m actually jazzed about 40 and I’ve had some pretty clear ideas about how I wanted to celebrate.
For those of you who don’t know, when I was 4 my folks moved us up to the border of Quebec. Our family was the only population in our tiny township. Lucky for me, the customs officer at the next border crossing had 3 little girts right around my age. Our families were both into sustainable living, were the only anglos in the area, and a fast friendship ensued. Thirty-six years later I’m unbelievably lucky to still have these women in my life.
Last year I told my husband that all I wanted for my 40th birthday was a get together with my 3 oldest and closest friends — and a bounce house. I’m a big fan of celebrating my inner child.
Since two out of the four of us turned 40 this year, the other two concocted a plan to ramp up the celebration. They managed to whisk us away to an amazing night at The Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine! If you have never heard of this place, you really need to check it out. The reservation process requires you to send in a postcard during a very short window and then cards are drawn at random until all the reservations for the year are filled up. Against all odds, my friend was one of the first cards drawn and she was able to get us a reservation for the first night that all four of us would be together at once in over 12 years.
The atmosphere was amazing, the food was out of this world, and the company was everything I asked for. The whole evening could not have been more perfect. I woke up rejuvenated and inspired, my cheeks still hurting from laughing. I also knew what I wanted to do for my personal celebration of 40.
I turn 40 with a lot of great people, and over the last year, I’ve watched them engage in creative fundraisers, tackle triathlons, or commit to 40 random acts of kindness. I wanted to find something similar but hadn’t come up with the right fit until that night.
Everything about The Lost Kitchen is pretty incredible, but the most wonderful part is its focus on sustainability. The restaurant is housed in a restored grist mill, the tables are built from reclaimed lumber, the ingredients are sourced from local farms…the list goes on. Everything about this approach speaks to my soul in a big way.
Sustainable living has been our family’s main goal, and this seems like a good time to recommit to that. So in honor of my 40th birthday, I’m going to take 40 steps toward greater sustainability between now and the end of the year. Some will be small, some will be bigger, some will be cost savers and others may require some financial output but will hopefully move us closer to our goal of sustainable living.
I’m also going to post about these steps. I’m hoping to share some helpful tips and, quite likely, some humorous failures along the way. Here’s to 40 and finding greater sustainability. I’m excited about this venture, and for the year to come. You can’t ask for a better way to approach a milestone birthday.
I still have a few days left of the countdown and I’ve already gotten everything I asked for and more. I’m unbelievably spoiled.
Yes. That means I even got my bounce house thanks to my amazing husband.
