Birthdays Past, Present, Future

As I get ready to celebrate my 38th birthday I think about birthdays past.

I have always been one to celebrate. I become festive before, during and after. Ironically, my family isn't big on birthdays. They sorta see it like another day. I've never understood this.

But I've always been different in this regard. As a matter of fact, my mother has often told me that she doesn't know where I came from because I'm sooooo different.

And yes, I am. I'm unique and there's nobody like me on the planet :)

Any who.

I remember celebrating birthdays when I was younger. I would have a few people over and we would dance, eat hot dogs and then I would get to blow out the candles on the cake. I don't know if other people saw this as a big deal but I did. Blowing out candles on a cake was a big deal to me. And yea, I did like for people to sing Happy Birthday.

In college, I remember my 21st birthday and walking into my dorm room to see a bottle of E&J on my bed. Well, maybe I wasn't 21 :) But that was soooo much fun. We went to some party after a few sippy sips and I danced and laughed, two of my fave things to do.

I remember one year when my ex-husband and I went to a cottage in Hocking Hills. I'm a cabin, cottage, bed and breakfast type of girl, so I loved, loved, loved it.

But every birthday hasn't been all fun and laughs. At 30, I shed sooooo many tears. I was unhappy for many reasons. I was living life with regrets.

But the older I got, I have learned two very important lessons.

One is to not live life with regrets. Whew, thinking about stuff that you've done and making yourself go crazy thinking of how things would be different if you made a different decision is insanity. I mean really, you will drive yourself bizzonkers. I don't do it.

And I also have learned that it isn't up to other people to make a big deal out of my birthday. It is up to me to make a big deal out of my birthday. After all, it is MY birthday.

And you can't expect someone to treat you better than you treat yourself or think more highly of your birthday than you do.

As I celebrate, my b-day there will be no one with a bigger smile, a happier heart, or a more peaceful soul than me.

I'm doin' the Happy Birthday Dance.

Thank you Lord for another year of this thing called life. :)