Dear OLDer Me,
Yup, my birthday is just around the corner on August 10th. It’s not a big one. But it’s my birthday nonetheless. Yes, I am getting older but I really don’t care. I feel age is relative. I have lived more in one year at this age than I did for decades before. Life is good at any age. But the parties are even better!
I guess as a woman I need to bemoan the fact that I am maturing. Have a few more curves and wrinkles. I’m okay with all that. Not ready to throw in the towel and certainly not crying about it. I’m embracing each and every year I have been on earth. But there’s always room for improvement… and for me, it is wanting my birthday party back!
Growing up in a big family to immigrant parents, birthdays were never a big deal. I was lucky if my mom remembered it was the day of my birth. Although to be fair, she did have 6 kids! We never really had a birthday party. I say we, because my younger sister Bobbie was born on August 6th - 361 days after me. We were treated like we were twins even though we aren’t. So if we were going to celebrate, it was going to be a twofer. But there wasn’t a party. No cake. No friends coming over. No truckload of presents. If we did have a party it was with my family and once again it wasn’t just mine alone.
When I grew up, I made it more of a celebration and called it my birthday month. After all I am a LEO. And I like my parties. I would go out for dinner with all my friends. It was always nice. I was a single girl and I would inform all my friends my birthday was coming up. After all, we all celebrated each other’s birthdays especially when there was no significant other to organize the event.
I would invite all the people I knew and we went to the hottest, hippest places. We ate good food. Drank lovely cocktails. And danced occasionally. But honestly the birthdays all morphed into one… nothing really stood out amongst them. But I loved every minute of the party!
I remember some milestones. Turning 25 and having a fight with my little sister - could it have been a flashback to the combined birthdays of yesteryear? Who knows? But time does give you perspective! Turning 30 in a new city with no friends and family around to celebrate. All these were… meh?! times. Maybe I was just waiting for my Prince Charming to throw me a party.
Things certainly have changed over the last few years. I got married to Scott and I have a young son, Tej. They shower me with love, adoration and affection. My hubby takes me out for dinner for my birthday and showers me with gifts. We lead a very civilized existence. But I didn’t have a party. Sure I’ve been out for my birthday with girlfriends… and for the last couple of years I have celebrated in Vancouver… in 2012 with my family and 2013 at my niece Jenna’s wedding.
So last week when I got an invite for a BBQ birthday for August 10th - I asked for my very own birthday party thrown by my soulmate. It is a last minute soiree at the house. The evite went out to the world and many won’t be able to make it but it doesn’t matter. Because it's all mine. And it’s a party. And I get to celebrate another year on this planet. Having the blessed life I do. What more can a girl ask for her birthday? Absolutely nothing!
It is never too late to ask for what you want. Chances are you will get it. And sometimes that can be the scary part. But all you have to do is be brave enough to think out loud. You may be lucky to have someone else, do all the rest!
With all my love,
Me
Yup, my birthday is just around the corner on August 10th. It’s not a big one. But it’s my birthday nonetheless. Yes, I am getting older but I really don’t care. I feel age is relative. I have lived more in one year at this age than I did for decades before. Life is good at any age. But the parties are even better!
I guess as a woman I need to bemoan the fact that I am maturing. Have a few more curves and wrinkles. I’m okay with all that. Not ready to throw in the towel and certainly not crying about it. I’m embracing each and every year I have been on earth. But there’s always room for improvement… and for me, it is wanting my birthday party back!
Growing up in a big family to immigrant parents, birthdays were never a big deal. I was lucky if my mom remembered it was the day of my birth. Although to be fair, she did have 6 kids! We never really had a birthday party. I say we, because my younger sister Bobbie was born on August 6th - 361 days after me. We were treated like we were twins even though we aren’t. So if we were going to celebrate, it was going to be a twofer. But there wasn’t a party. No cake. No friends coming over. No truckload of presents. If we did have a party it was with my family and once again it wasn’t just mine alone.
When I grew up, I made it more of a celebration and called it my birthday month. After all I am a LEO. And I like my parties. I would go out for dinner with all my friends. It was always nice. I was a single girl and I would inform all my friends my birthday was coming up. After all, we all celebrated each other’s birthdays especially when there was no significant other to organize the event.
I would invite all the people I knew and we went to the hottest, hippest places. We ate good food. Drank lovely cocktails. And danced occasionally. But honestly the birthdays all morphed into one… nothing really stood out amongst them. But I loved every minute of the party!
I remember some milestones. Turning 25 and having a fight with my little sister - could it have been a flashback to the combined birthdays of yesteryear? Who knows? But time does give you perspective! Turning 30 in a new city with no friends and family around to celebrate. All these were… meh?! times. Maybe I was just waiting for my Prince Charming to throw me a party.
Things certainly have changed over the last few years. I got married to Scott and I have a young son, Tej. They shower me with love, adoration and affection. My hubby takes me out for dinner for my birthday and showers me with gifts. We lead a very civilized existence. But I didn’t have a party. Sure I’ve been out for my birthday with girlfriends… and for the last couple of years I have celebrated in Vancouver… in 2012 with my family and 2013 at my niece Jenna’s wedding.
So last week when I got an invite for a BBQ birthday for August 10th - I asked for my very own birthday party thrown by my soulmate. It is a last minute soiree at the house. The evite went out to the world and many won’t be able to make it but it doesn’t matter. Because it's all mine. And it’s a party. And I get to celebrate another year on this planet. Having the blessed life I do. What more can a girl ask for her birthday? Absolutely nothing!
It is never too late to ask for what you want. Chances are you will get it. And sometimes that can be the scary part. But all you have to do is be brave enough to think out loud. You may be lucky to have someone else, do all the rest!
With all my love,
Me