Mar 01 2008
Today Is My Birthday, Part 43
What a difference a year makes. And that’s a very good thing.
I re-read my birthday entries from last year and it’s interesting to see where my head was at the time.
I knew that I had to make changes in my life and that there would be challenges ahead of me. I just had no idea what challenges I would encounter!
It was a year of More.
- I took more risks.
- I loved more.
- I hugged more.
- I wanted more and began to believe I deserved more.
Because I took risks and because I loved more, I also had more pain.
Last year to the day (if you don’t count the fact that year is a Leap Year) I was driving in a blizzard for the first time. I was on year 11 of a job that kept me on the road and while I liked the traveling, it was all getting a bit … old.
Life should not get old. Aging is one thing, becoming old is something else.
Little did I know that I’d fly back to Cape Town, spend a week around London, endure a few months of depression, discover joy, and end up collecting unemployment.
Now I enter my 43rd year with a new job that I am excited about, I’ve gotten birthday cards, birthday emails and dang, 4 people have already called me to wish me a happy birthday.
The sweetest call was from my mom. I’ve usually been on the road on my birthday and this is the first time I was able to listen to her sing the birthday song on the phone instead of on the answering machine. She’s really cute. I had wondered if she’d actually sing for me this year and it was so nice that she did.
She has the cutest “accent.” She was born in the US but somewhere in her late 40s she lost the ability to pronounce “tee aitch.”
The best part of listening to her sing happy birthday is when she hits the crescendo…you know the part where everyone’s voice cracks? She sounds like this:
“Happy BURRRRFFFFF-day dear daughter, happy BURF-day, tooooo … yoooooo…”
I read somewhere that the key to dying well was living well. I am not sure what the author meant but I think that dying well means being able to let go of life without fear, pain or regrets and that in some way, you gave joy to the world.
I feel that I have a lot left to do with my life. I figure I have at least another 40 more years of living in me based on the fact that my grandparents died in their late eighties and early nineties.
When I woke up this morning I thought, “Today is my birthday.” I had a moment of anxiousness of what I “needed” to get done with my life.
I reeled in my thoughts of all that I should have accomplished and all that I must accomplish and thought about how I would feel if today were my last day of life.
I still have a bunch of things I’d like to do. I want to share my life with someone. I want to overcome more fears. I want to attain a few more dreams.
I was born 43 years ago today. Yet today is not a bad day to die.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Happy Birthday Ms.Q!!!!!!!
You had some ups and downs this year for sure but it sounds like you are on the upswing. And I’m glad to hear it. You should try to get audio of your mom singing happy birthday. LOL! I bet it is cute.
I just realized that you have a category called fortunate cookie. I had once thought of calling one of my posts “The fascist egg roll and the fortunate cookie.”
It was going to be a political post on China. Never wrote it but the title has other applications and one day I will find use for it.
MsQ!!!!!!
I wish that I could sing happy birthday to you as well …. I am going to work on that. For now, here it the text version
Happy birthday to you …
Happy birthday Ms Q!!
Happy birthday my favorite writer positive thinker blogging friend love to read your posts stylish wine drinking happy loving kind has a great new job – pal of mine ….
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOOOO YOUUUU!!!!!!!!!
From the time I first “met” you at my “person behind the blog” post, I have so much enjoyed following your life / life thoughts, and the yickity yackety “how are you doing” back and forth. I know it may sound strange as one of your blog readers, but I do care about you, and am so happy to see great things happening in your life. I wish you a super – wonderful birthday. Big hugs to you, and may the coming year be your best ever. I think it will be!
Eric
Yes, as another one of your blog readers, HAAAAAAAPpy BIRRRRRRTHday, TOOOOOOO YOOOOOOOOOU. And may 43 be the first of many, many fantastic years for you.
While I’ve been reading your blog, I’ve definitely enjoyed following the lessons that you’ve been learning. It’s been fun seeing how you react to different things that have happened.
In any case, I want to say: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Happy Birthday! I didn’t know when your birthday was/is, but now I have it marked on the calender! Yay!
Here’s a little something for you! Enjoy!
http://www.hallmark.com/ECardWeb/ECV.jsp?a=EG5730072772053M251137888Y&product_id=
Happy Birthday Ms. Q!
I had no idea you were a Pisces. Had I payed more attention I probably would have known better.
I’m glad you see life the way that you do. I tell people all the time do what you enjoy and stop worrying so much. I’m glad you have take the time out to enjoy and appreciate life without being so guarded.
With all that you’ve been through the next steps in your life are much deserved (the good steps of course). I wish you the best through the next year.
May you be able to look back a year from now and realize you’ve grown more wiser and free.
http://speedcathollydale.blogspot.com/2008/03/sunday-evolving-ever-adding-post-to.html
(he heee)
Happy Birthday Ms.Q!!!!!! It was quite the year, wasn’t it? Your mom’s birthday wish does sound cute! Wishing you a great year number 43!! And I like the blog post title – very clever!
Happy Birthday MsQ and hopefully many more to come.
Happy Birthday (belated).
Everyone: thanks for the birthday wishes!! You have been so great to me!!
Ricardo: I feel that I’m on an upswing – it’ll take me some work to keep it going but it’s all good work and well worth the effort.
I might try to get an audio of my mom singing happy birthday. It IS cute.
I wanted to do more with my “fortune cookie” category and have lots of fortune cookies to use but lost the momentum. I like your idea for post and I’m sure you’ll use the line some day. I have lots of little starter posts or sentences that I find intriguing.
Speedy!! Thank you so much for singing happy birthday to me!! For you other readers out there, Speedy left me a SpeedyGram and he has a very deep singing voice. Totally matches him which means chock full o’ bearded goodness!!
I am glad I “met” you as well and feel the same way – I care about you and want the best for you, too! Thanks so much for the hugs and big ones at that!!
It’s so funny – you were like the 7th person that sang happy birthday to me on the phone!!
Christine: Thanks so much and I plan to have many more happy birthdays!
Derek: I’m glad you’ve been enjoying the “show” and I hope to write about something whacky that happened to me recently. I am not sure if my reaction is typical!
Sue: Thank you for the card – what a perfect choice and what a nice message! How’d you know I liked stones?? hehehehe!! I really liked the card. Thank you.
UT: Yep, I’m a fish that’s allergic to fish! Life is very interesting and I know that I don’t know a lot and that I will continue to learn and grow more. I want to learn and grow more. It’s very strange but a few days ago I thought, “I am a woman” because that’s how I feel. I feel “all grown up” in a very different way. I think back to my life a few years ago and I think I began to grow up at age 40! I don’t feel like a little girl. I used to have a bit of this little girl feeling and now I.. don’t. I’ve come into my own. I am not totally comfortable in my skin (still working on self-acceptance!) but I am more at home.
Speedy!! (part deux): hahahaha!
Jill: Yes, it has been QUITE the year! Glad you enjoyed the post title!
esoftub: If I follow in my grandparents’ footsteps, I have at least 40 more birthdays!
HMTKSteve: Thanks! I don’t mind the belated part – I know you’re working and dang it’s hard to work and blog!