Birthdays are overrated....

To preface this one: I was reading back over my posts, trying to stimulate my mind into drafting something apropos for the occasion, when I stumbled upon this one from 2006. It made sense then, and it makes sense now- so why not repost it? (The names have been ommitted to protect the innocent....)

Feb 26, 2006.

At what point do birthdays lose their magic? When one is a child, birthdays mean you are the princess for a day. You get to be the centre of attention, get lots of presents, eat cake, and basically get a 'get-out-of-jail-free card for bad behaviour for the day.

When you're a little older, you get birthday parties, trips to Chuck 'E' Cheese, and cards from Grandma in the mail. (we are so important when we start to receive mail!)

When you get to high school and university, a birthday is an excuse to hang out with friends, maybe have a party, go to a club or bar and all your friends buy you drinks. It's a high point of your annual social calendar. Sure, you still do the family thing, but at this point it's more for the family's sake.

Then you're out into the real world. You hold a job, make your own money, look after your own domicile, and inevitably lose touch with a lot of those you once considered close friends. You have a select close knit group of good friends, some that live close by, and some that never forget to send a card each year. You might go out for dinner or coffee or something quiet to celebrate. Since you are self sufficient and less frivolous- it gets hard to answer the "what do you want for your birthday" questions, 'cause honestly you have everything you need to be content. Spending time with the people that are most important to you becomes the best way you can think of to spend your day. Dinner with the family doesn't seem like an imposition on your weekend off- you realize you value your time with them. (Despite their idiosyncrasies.)

Maybe it's the cynicism of age that makes a birthday lose it's magical wonder. Maybe it's 'cause you've had so many you want to stop counting around 29....for the third (or fourth) time. Maybe it's because the years of anticipating that you would feel somehow 'different' the next day, have ended up in an anticlimactic realization that you just have a few new lines around your eyes ( a few?) and more often than not you find yourself plucking out what you assure yourself is an odd grey hair. That kids refer to you as 'lady' in the grocery store, and you find yourself wondering if you brought your mother with you? And when did 20 year olds become kids?

I like to look at it another way. The realization that every day is just as important and should be lived to it's fullest has eclipsed the 'birthday' phenomenon. I'm thankful for the sunshine and a fresh breeze, stare in wonder at the icicles hanging off the escarpment, and the patterns in the tree branches stretching out to touch the pale winter sky. I'm thankful that I feel I am in the best health of my life. I love that I have my cats, books, music, art, muddled writings and loved ones to fill my idle moments. I am content. I am fulfilled.

So yes, birthdays are overrated. Life is not.

It's been a year......and what a year it's been.....

It's hard to believe that it's been that long since I've posted here. This forgotten spot that had housed so many of my thoughts and musings has been replaced by another vice- Facebook. Perhaps THE most addicting thing on the internet.

But I'm making a concious decision.......I like my blog.....I like my sandbox. I need to return every once in a while to build my castles in the sun, muse on life, and reflect on the little things. Here is a place for my mind.....a place that you don't have to invite 20 friends just to see the results of a quiz that will tell you what kind of fruit you're most like. Perhaps my friends from facebook will care to join me.....perhaps not.