birthday manifesto

As we get older, birthdays seem to be something there only to mark the passage of time. Another year ...sigh. What haven't I gotten done? What haven't I accomplished? It's not that we haven't been getting older the whole time; it's just that birthdays are so infrequent (only once a year, unless you're one of those cool leap year babies who seem to age faster than the rest of us --"You're 8???"). They stand out.

But this grim view of birthdays, I think, is wrong. I would like to go on record: birthdays are excellent; birthdays are wonderful; any day that celebrates your birth and your presence here with the rest of us is a day that should stand out. You don't have to get anything of note done. You don't have to accomplish anything in particular. Just being here --I mean, what are the odds? Don't make me go into how babies are made & the statistics involved in that process. Please don't. The point is, you're here! 

I would like to wish my friend, Melissa, a very happy birthday today, October 19th. She reminded me today, on a day that was otherwise very hard, that I'm lucky to know her. She takes care of me. I hope I take care of her, too. If she had not been born, I would have just had a hard day --instead, I got to make her a birthday meal on Twitter! I got to think about what she means to me, and about stories she's shared with me that give me a glimpse of how the world beyond me is a better place with her in it. She has a beautiful voice. She has a sensitive spirit. Pardon me while I get mushy, but a birthday is a great excuse to let people know what they mean to you.

So, anyway, that's my briefly-stated birthday manifesto: celebrate birthdays, for as long as you can. Don't worry about getting older --that'll happen anyway. Enjoy birthdays, & enjoy each other. Treat yourself well. Treat the birthday boy or girl well (I don't care how old you get, when it comes to birthdays, we're all boys and girls!). Allow birthdays to stand out in a good way. And please, please, please, most importantly, don't forget to eat cake. And save me a slice!



[Update December 15th: My birthday. I am still alive, & I think that's a good thing. I have friends. I have family, including two family members who have been and are seriously ill and are still with us. 2016 hasn't done us in yet. Something to celebrate!]