One of the most significant things my mom taught me growing up was the joy of celebrating birthdays. For every birthday, my mom let my brother and me choose what we would have for dinner that night. Mom would also make us a cake (whatever our favorite was!) and she gave us carefully wrapped presents that made us feel special and loved.
Every year I looked forward to my birthday and would begin the countdown to joy weeks beforehand. I especially enjoyed forcing my brother to eat my favorite meal when it was my birthday. ;) Fortunately, he never retaliated and chose liver and onions on his birthday! LOL.
Growing up, I loved1 being the center of attention for a day, opening my surprises, and having my family wish me a Happy Birthday. My mom’s consistency in our birthday rituals and the care that she obviously put into each celebration created in me a joy about my birthday that exists to this day.
Eventually I realized that what my mom actually taught me was not how to celebrate a birthday, but how to celebrate myself. Before my mom died and for decades afterward, I relied on others to create a birthday that would bring me joy. I didn’t realize it at the time but the reason I depended on others for this most important day of the year was that I couldn’t trust myself to celebrate me properly.
Fortunately, I’ve learned how to trust myself with this important event now. These days, I plan my own party (if I want to have one), I decide what should be on my birthday menu, and I’ve even begun buying myself a present or two.2
In a few days, I’m going to be celebrating my 58th birthday. I’ve been thinking for months about what I want to do and whom I want to include in my celebration. Sometimes the planning is the most fun part, even if I don’t follow through with any of the plans.
The point of my birthday planning is that I know that, even if I forget to celebrate myself the rest of the year, I have one day when I always remember to celebrate me! :)
Have you learned the importance of celebrating yourself? If you were to plan your own birthday celebration, what would you want to do? Who would you invite to share it with you? What present(s) would you buy yourself to celebrate and honor you on your special day?
If you’ve never tried celebrating yourself in this way, it’s time to begin! Even if your birthday was yesterday, you can begin planning for the next one. Birthdays are not just another day on the calendar. They are a day to remind yourself of how special you are and that you need to be celebrated!
The word “love” is accurate and intentional here. :)
I do the same for Christmas, too. Sometimes I buy myself a gift months ahead of time, wrap it up, and by the time I open it, I am pleasantly surprised to find that the gift was exactly what I wanted! ;)
The answer to what I bought for myself is a Native American flute (this one, for my NA flute friends: https://www.bluebearflutes.com/product-page/cherokee-little-people-flutes-mini-flute) and the book "The Yoga of Eating" by Charles Eisenstein. :)