The (Not-This-Year) Birthday Blues

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I love celebrating any and every occasion. (My family jokes that we get together to celebrate a letter opening.) During my childhood, we hosted gatherings for all sorts of reasons, and I grew up thinking that everyone's (ENTIRE) family got together weekly for some sort of festivity. 

Even with the knowledge that we are an anomaly, my mom and I refuse to let go of our celebrate-aholic ways. Our birthdays are just a day a part, and we start to announce the approach of our special days more than a month in advance. Last week was our favorite time of the year, our "birthday week," as we continue to call it. We spent the time getting our nails done, eating our favorite foods, catching up with family and friends, and much more. 

For my entire life, my mom has made it clear that everyone should have a birthday filled with everything and everyone they love. I love planning a special 24 hours for close friends with the hope that they will feel as special as I did growing up on August 2nd. Even now I wait up until midnight of the night before my birthday (in order to be awake for its official start) and stay up until midnight on my birthday (in order to sadly see its end). 

Almost everyone who knows me knows that I love any excuse to celebrate. However, few know that after any big occasions (holidays, birthdays, etc.),  I usually get the blues, a mixture of anxiety, sadness, and loneliness. I guess it is just the big let down of knowing that it is all over. Surprisingly, this year was completely different. I still completed my normal ritual of saying hello and farewell to my special day, but without an aching feeling when August 3rd rolled around. 

I think this change is indicative of all the transitions I am going through, and perhaps even part of the growing up (AHHH) process. The last week was filled with my favorite people and food, and I ended my celebrations with the reminder that I live a blessed life. Instead of being sad that my birthday had passed, I have acknowledged all that is ahead of me. I absolutely love my new job, two great friends just got engaged, my sister-in-law is pregnant, two trips are coming up, and the list could continue forever...

There is no reason to not wake up every day with a smile. Life is wonderful.