Received this card tonight at dinner… and the inside read:” Hope You Have A Well Balanced Birthday!” Before I even blew out the candles, this birthday wish came true!
Today I turned 44. Nothing special about turning 44… just another birthday. Leading up to this anniversary of my birth, I had many friends inquire as to how I would be spending my day. I hadn’t even thought about it. My girlfriends were going to take me to dinner… that was the only thing I had on the agenda.
At the last minute, my “boss” graciously gave me the day off. For those of you who do not know me, I work for myself. I made myself a grand breakfast with scrambled eggs, peppers, mushrooms, and onions. AND, I even buttered my whole wheat toast. Well, let’s not stop there, I uncorked a bottle of cheap champagne and made myself a mimosa. (Every woman should have a bottle of cheap champagne on hand to “fancy” up her breakfast.) I sat at my dining room table and thought about the day ahead. I could do ANYTHING!
For those of you who know me, it will come as a complete surprise that I decided to CLEAN. Unless I’m having “new” guests or my Mom (and even then it’s not very thorough) I just don’t feel the desire or need to clean. Today is an absolutely gorgeous fall day, so I opened every window in my house to let some fresh air in. I started on the main floor and polished the tables, dusted, swept, vacuumed and scrubbed. With Pandora tuned to Abba, I had the perfect soundtrack to sashay from room to room.
Throughout the day, I received welcomed interruptions with birthday greetings from friends near and far. And when I wrapped up a call I was right back to my cleaning. Shockingly, I had a spring in my step and a smile on my face the entire time. I even spent an hour fixing the vacuum and a half hour clearing the slow running drains. (I concluded that if I vacuum more, I probably wouldn’t get clogged drains.) 
What to do for lunch… it was 2:30 p.m. and lunch time had come and gone. I needed to eat, but I didn’t really have anything “celebratory” in the fridge. Earlier in the day I cleared out some old mail and found a takeout menu for “Huie’s Chow Mein.” It’s less than a block away and in the 8 years I’ve lived here, I’ve never once ventured into Huie’s. The cream cheese wontons had “Birthday Celebration” written all over them. I took a break from cleaning and got some cream cheese wontons to go.
As I sat at my dining room table indulging in this deep fried birthday treat, I was trying to figure out why on earth I was LOVING this birthday so much. I came up with a couple reasons. I truly had no expectations for my birthday. So often, we put pressure on ourselves or loved ones to plan something special for our “day.” Everything that was unfolding was a little surprise gift I was giving myself. In the last few weeks, I have been very intentional in trying to live in the moment. (See post Living in the Moment) Throughout the day, I felt the crisp breeze through the windows, smelled the burning candle, listened to the music, saw the lovely turning leafs, and tasted the savory cream cheese wontons. I was on a sensory overload. The events were far from extraordinary. The breeze blows, candles burn, music plays, the sun shines, and I fill my belly each day. The difference is I NOTICED everything. I took time to appreciate everything. I allowed myself to bask in the moment. My mind was not racing thinking about my endless “to do” list and I was not multi-tasking.
This gift of slowing down to live in the moment is by far the best gift I’ve given myself. My new year is off to a great start. I’m looking forward to slowing down and appreciating all these little moments. My 44th birthday was far from glamorous, but I will say it was absolutely glorious!
What do you do to celebrate your birthday? How do you treat yourself?
