Recently, I celebrated my grand birth into this work. AKA – I celebrated my birthday. Due to my birthday falling in the middle of the week and old age creeping up on me, my expectations were low for this day. And by low, I mean I expected nothing but birthday wishes and caviar dreams. (By caviar dreams, I just wanted a delicious birthday cake). I thought if I kept my expectations for the day low that disappointment wouldn’t find me in the lack of a hoopla that surrounded me on this day. Little did I know, that I would still be in tears by the end of the day.
Subconsciously, even if we set the bar low for a special day, we can always come out of it disappointed. There is always that part of us that anticipates it being this beautiful day, surrounded by the people you care about most.  Showering you with love and attention, but there is always that part of us that are hoping that our expectations will have exceeded by one or several people that you didn’t expect to step up to the plate. But what about when those people don’t step up? What about them they are too “busy” even to say Happy Birthday. What about the Sixteen Candles moment when someone close to you entirely forgot that it was your big day.
The older that you get, the more involved a birthday can become, but when you are feeling like Molly Ringwald in an 80’s movie wondering when that someone will notice it is your big day, it can take a toll on you. It also can be a major life lesson. As I was drowning myself in a romantic comedy and wine to forget that I was now officially old, I realized that birthdays aren’t about who acknowledges you or the gives you attention. They aren’t about the presents, the celebrations or the cake (even though that is still a high priority). We should be celebrating and appreciating the fact that we are lucky to spend another year on this Earth alive.
I know that might sound cheesy or just a way to pick myself up after a crappy day, but in reality, we all are blessed to be here. There I was crying over someone close to me who was too wrapped up in their day to see how my day was and how old I was turning, not even seeing the bigger picture. I was upset over not being where I expected myself to be at this age, yet I know people who will never have the chance to cry over this and will never reach this age. Finally, I realized that I had the best gift I could have received – Another year.
Birthdays are supposed to be a happy celebration, but we should also take a moment to appreciate how blessed we are.  Everyday life gets in the way and takes people long before they should. Life in itself is the ultimate birthday gift that should be appreciated. So when you are feeling down that someone didn’t go above and beyond for your big day or you didn’t receive the present that you thought was going to be coming your way, just remember that you are lucky to be here still. Another year is the greatest gift of all.
Featured Image via Unsplash.Â
