Perfectly Imperfect: celebration

On Monday I turned 31! I have a special fondness for birthdays. For me its a reminder that life is precious and special. You made it though another year. In many ways birthdays remind me of the beginning of the year. They are filled with endless possibilities and the sense that you can conquer the world. For myself I want to celebrate. It doesn't have to be a grand extravaganza, just a nice day filled with no drama and people I love. This was the first year that I spent my actual birthday alone. I have to say that it was a very different experience. It was also a reminder that I'm getting older and growing into a more mature adult. I think being single and not having anyone else to take care of (well, besides the dog) that I don't feel like I'm in my 30's, a lot of the time I still feel like I should be in high school. Which is weird, because I don't think you could pay me to go back and be in high school.

I guess you could say I have a "thing" about celebrating on the actual day. I did get a chance to celebrate with both my parents the days leading up to the day and it was wonderful. But it just never felt like my birthday. When I woke-up on Monday morning I sang to myself, took the dog for a walk and got ready for my summer school class. Class on my birthday was also another first. I've always been very lucky to not have to go to school on my birthday, usually because it was late enough in the spring that school was already out. Late that evening I took the L to the bookstore and browsed for a while, picked up a couple of writing books, then took myself to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. So far, it really felt like my birthday. Somehow Mexican and books are the two things I usually manage to do on my birthday. If you know me, you know that I love books and go to the bookstore frequently. When I go on my b-day it just feels different, the only way I know how to explain it is a calm tranquility. It's probably part of the new beginnings feeling that comes with the mark of a new year.

I had some great conversations with family who wanted to wish me a happy day and gobs of friends on fb writing on my page. And last night I had a fantabulous friend take me to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. I have not been so stuffed in a long time. It was such a special, special dinner. As I continue to get older I'm starting to learn to be more flexible about my ideas and I hope that next year's celebration can be just as great as this year.