On the appointed first day, I awoke to her staring at me, her tiny nose an inch from my larger one, and her saying, "Mommy, I feel energetic!"

She was true to her words.

Mimi danced on the bed, around the mattress, across scattered pillows, and High School Musical-ed over the comforter. 

She received lots of swag for her birthday. 

Perhaps the sweetest gift came from our neighbors, Tina and Bryan. They don't have children, yet never fail to bring something for Mimi and her brother on every holiday. They do so quietly, usually leaving Valentine's Day candy, or Christmas cookies in colorful bags on the doorknob. 

Yet, for this special day, they came in their biking garb, and handed Mimi a beautiful stuffed animal. It was a giraffe and Tina, an artist, hand drew a card with the same animal on it and in cursive wrote its history.

Mimi promptly named it Giraffeeeee. She hugged Tina and gave her a kiss. Then she enveloped Bryan. 

"You're the best neighbors in the whole wide world!" she said. "Thank you -- thank you -- thank you!!!" The second sentence came after I reminded her, "What do you say?"

The two left to go on their  bicycle ride and we went inside to get dressed so we could spend Mimi's special day together.

I stared at my neighbors' house before climbing into the car. 'They are so dear,' I thought. Just genuinely nice, considerate people. 

We absolutely lucked out in the neighbors' department. With friends, too. And with family.

More than ten years ago I drove across the country by myself with my two cats, determined to meet the right man, fall in love, have a family, buy a house, make money, write, do a variety of things.

All of that has come to pass. 

Some not so good things have happened, as well. 

Life is like that.

On balance, I'm way ahead. 

Though I do complain. (I can't help it. I'm Jewish. I'm from New York. It is in my blood. It is also one of my hobbies.)

Still, I am grateful for what I do have.

I'm hopeful that the rest of my life will hold more positives than negatives, however I can accept whatever might happen.

Perhaps because I have come such a long way already.

By Dawn Yun