The Day After A Birthday

Sometimes I think people make too much of their birthdays. It’s not a very popular notion, and that’s why I often keep it to myself. While it’s true that your birthday only comes around once a year, and everyone loves a party, I think it’s important that people celebrate every day of their life. Their life, that is. Not just their birthdate, which to be honest, is not an accomplishment for which you can take direct credit. Rather than go overboard with the margaritas, the cake and the presents, send your parents a thank-you card, for heaven’s sake.  And certainly you should thank God for allowing it all to happen in the first place. But to be alive is worth celebrating every day.

This attitude is what makes the day after a birthday so important. The hangover will hopefully have slacked off,  your blood sugar may be back to normal again, and the presents or cards are tucked neatly away. It’s a good day to remind yourself that today, after all, is someone else’s birthday (probably hundreds of thousands of peoples’ birthdays in fact) and it’s time to resume the march of life that began the moment you were born. Be kind to yourself, to others,  admire the simple beauty of the weed before you pluck it, and perhaps as in my case, model the behavior of your dog. He will charge zestfully outside every day, regardless of his own birthday, in search of a grand adventure.

Soapbox aside,  I will say that yesterday, July 6, was a marvelous day. As an adult, the greatest joy in having a birthday are the acknowlegements you receive from so many family members and friends, close to home and faraway. They use your birthday as an occasion to simply say hello and by doing so, you’re reminded of them, and when their birthday happens to be. Oh, there we go, back to birthdays again…just can’t help myself.