Birthday dreams

If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know that I love to celebrate my birthday. To me, my birthday is cause for celebration beyond any other date on the calendar.* I hope you, too, feel the same urge to celebrate the day you were born. As you know, we’re only here for a limited run. May as well use the anniversary of your arrival as an opportunity to be appropriately fêted.

No two birthdays of mine have ever been the same. I’ve celebrated in the city, the country and in small towns. There have been concerts attended and parties hosted, meals in both casual and formal restaurants and take out enjoyed at home. There is no rule – beyond doing whatever it is that I want to do.

Some years my birth “day” extends over a week or more as I try to mark the occasion with loved ones, each of whom comes with their own schedule and commitments. I don’t mind this at all.

My most recent birthday began the afternoon prior to the actual day with a massage. Even though I do indulge myself monthly with some therapeutic body work, booking one as a lead in to my birthday made it feel even more luxurious than usual.

On my birthday, I worked a full day. It was a busy day filled with kids and books and it went quickly. After school, Jeter and I took a good walk under a beautiful blue sky, which I followed with a very short solo run.

My neighbors, one of whom shares my birthday, were in their yard, and I joined them for a glass of wine prior to showering and getting dressed for dinner. By 7:00, I was in my car heading to the Aviary to enjoy a meal at the bar. I had a fantastic dinner, comprised of three small plates and dessert, and got lucky with the handsome bartender who drove me (to our) home.

It really was an excellent birthday.

For many years, I’ve taken a personal day the day after my birthday. There’s an appeal to devoting the first day of a new age to something I want to do without the restriction of work responsibilities. Often, I choose an outdoor activity like a hike, run or walk.

If I were to imagine the perfect post birthday dream day, I think it would look a little like this…

I’d somehow manage to sleep later than my usual wake up time of 5:00. I’d get dressed without pausing to weigh myself. My breakfast would be carb heavy because I’d want, and need, the fuel for my day. The sky would be blue with a few puffy white clouds. I’d get on my bicycle and make my way to the bike path and head south to Kinderhook, which is an ambitious destination for someone who hasn’t been on their bike since last fall.

What better way is there to acknowledge and celebrate being alive than doing something physically challenging?

Along the trail, I’d see deer and woodchucks and a few precocious trees trying on their fall foliage. After about 20 miles of riding, I’d stretch my legs and enjoy the sun on my face for a few moments as I mused about how the best way to honor the gift of another year of life is to live.

After arriving at my destination (29+ miles from home), I’d freshen up in the bathroom of a sweet cafe and feel immense relief that I had not in fact hurt my girly parts riding my bike; it was only last night’s beets making an appearance. 😅

With my bike stowed in my car, I’d stop along my way home for a vanilla milkshake, a reward for my exertions. Once back in Albany, I’d take Jeter for a long walk to stretch all of our legs, my two, his four. Dinner would be just plucked from the vine tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil tossed together in a bowl with coarse salt, ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

The evening would draw to a close with a candlelit yoga class, followed by a small bowl of cereal, a shower and bed. Happily tired, I’d be asleep before 10:00. Dreamy, right?

How do you honor and celebrate another year alive?

*At least, that is, until DJT is removed from society.