It's My Birthday
Today I am 33.
I like to put a big emphasis on my birthday these days, because nobody else is going to do it for me. At my age, most of my friends dread their birthdays, seeing it as a reminder of their increasing age. I consider it instead to be a day of allowed narcissism - a day that gets to be just about me and what I want. This year, I even have the day off from work, so I get to spend it how I like.
So far I've had a sandwich from my favorite sub shop, a free coffee from a nearby coffee shop, a delightful hot bath, and a lot of time just laying around in bed. In about an hour, I'll be driving down to visit a friend I rarely get to see, taking him a birthday present (his birthday is the week before mine), and maybe watching a movie or two.
Tomorrow has been dubbed by my partners as "cassiterite fun day" - we're going to a local coffee shop, going to the cinema to watch a movie, and spending the evening at my favorite terrible chain restaurant: Olive Garden. (When you're here, you're family!) So I get two great days of birthday fun this year, and I'm very happy about it.
It seems I rarely get a chance to relax and have fun these days. Even most of my days off are spent recovering from my time at work, so it's great to have some days that are specifically for me, for having fun and getting to pay attention to myself without feeling bad about it. I think that's what a birthday should be.