Birthdays and Other Occasions

March is a big month for our family because we have a lot of birthdays to celebrate. It’s funny to think about the evolution of celebrating your first birthday to the birthdays we celebrate later in life. Obviously you won’t remember the day you were born, but hopefully you’ve heard the story from one or both of your parents. I love to tell my kids about the day they were born. I won’t bore you with all the details but the short version of each day goes something like this:

First Child: Wow- did that just happen? She’s so tiny. What do we do now?

Second Child: It’s a boy! What??? What do I do with a boy?

Third Child: Here we go again! Three kids under five, I will never leave the house!

Of course we were overjoyed and excited at all the possibilities we had for our future with these three little humans we brought into this world. And birthdays are exciting for a while, until we start reaching those milestones we have been dreading…. 30, 40, 50… the list goes on. And yes, some people do dread 30! Maybe we need to adjust our thinking when it comes to birthdays, and stop counting the years and start commemorating them.

I guess the reason this has been on my mind is because someone very close to me who shall remain nameless (husband) just turned 50. Of course he’s just as dashing as the day I married him, but I think it’s been bothering him. Since I’m way younger (1.5 years) I won’t have to say I’m 50 for a while, but I agree, the thought of it is a bit unsettling. Recently I was at the doctor’s office and the nurse asked me some routine questions. One of them was if I had a fall recently. I said no, but I got to thinking if I did have a fall, I’m now at the age where I could really hurt myself. Ugh. I also recently added a few new products to my makeup bag, including neck creme and eyebrow gel. Double ugh. I sometimes fall asleep in the middle of the day while reading a book for book club… you get the idea.

We don’t get as excited about turning 50 or 60, but as soon as you have a 75th birthday or 80th or 90th, people get crazy! There are parties and cakes and tributes galore. At least that’s how it’s been in my experience. There’s a lull between 50 and 75. Maybe we’re depressed? Perhaps we are too busy re-examining our lives, trying to figure out what the next 20-30 years (if we are lucky) will look like? 

I guess it’s all about mindset. The next decade of my life will include weddings, baby showers and college graduations. It will include trips with my husband and visits with our parents. It will include fostering new friendships and cultivating old ones. It will no doubt include unexpected loss and sadness. And therein lies the reason for commemorating those in-between birthdays or any birthday that we are dreading. Because life is the ultimate gift. This year on your birthday, whatever the number is, give a little nod to the universe; you made it one more year in this crazy world with the people that you love, and that’s not a guarantee.