Four years ago today, I sat in a parking lot, sobbing in my own car. The breakdown was caused by what had seemed like a major tragedy. I called my boyfriend -- an arrogant attorney -- to come comfort me.

The problem? My face had somehow contorted into the kind of ugliness you would expect from the guy steering your boat in Hades. My hair was a bird's nest. My shirt was both wrinkled and tight. And they all combined to form the world's worst driver's license picture ever.

"Four years! Four years I have to live with this picture!" I screamed to my boyfriend. "Four years of bars and clubs and applying for things and getting pulled over -- all with this picture!"

"But that's pretty much how you look in real life," he said bluntly.

Cut to four years later.

Tonight, as the sun sets on my birthday, I'll be with many of the people I love best, including the kind of guy who strokes my forehead and calls me "Princess Maggie." I'll have a brand-new, smiley driver's license in my pocket. I'll have cupcakes and sunshine and skydiving to look forward to all weekend.

And in my very near future, I'm also looking forward to a new job, a cross-country move, a new apartment and new friends in my life.

So this evening, every time I lift my glass of pink champagne, I'll be toasting to fresh starts of every kind.

Happy Maggie Gras!

This entry was posted on Friday, July 29, 2005 at 7:51 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.