Best Birthday Ever?

     There must be something in the air these days. I have been mulling over birthdays for a bit. My mother's just passed, I welcomed in the fall with a friend's birthday dinner on the 23rd, my grandfather's 90th is fast approaching, as is mine, the "Kitchen's" first and a score of others. Amelia's post this week over at Bon Appetempt was on her thirtieth and my cousin aka RoryBore's Coffee Chat topic this week is best birthday ever. What is going on?

     I love birthdays, all of them. I'm going to be a bit off topic for the coffee chat because I don't think I can pick a "best", they all are. What's not to like?

      Only on your birthday can you be silly, spoiled and pampered with no one raising an eyebrow. As a matter of fact it is almost mandatory and they sing for you too. You have made it through another year, one more step on that journey we call life. Older, yes, wiser?? well....

     It is the time to celebrate, get together with friends and family, toast your successes, moan over failures and then look forward to the coming year, decade, whatever. Screw the carbs, eat cake, drink a bit too much, indulge a little. You deserve it after all.

     On the more serious side, it is also a time of reflection. Looking back to see where you've been, who was with you, then charting your course for the future. It is usually only on my birthday that I'm aware of how much I've changed over the year, the decade or my life this far. Silly things like, "Did I really gain that much weight" (Yes, I really did LOL), a little more serious, " Was I really ever that naive/ insufferable (Yep, I was/am) to the deeper "What do I want my life to stand for?" or " Am I the person I want/ed to be?" (Uhmmm) The passing of time is the only way for us to gain any perspective on our lives, assessing and re assessing our hopes, dreams and aspirations. Birthdays are the perfect little stops on the way, with cake, iced cream, and sometimes goofy little hats.

     Whether I'm celebrating my own, planning a friend's, finding that perfect gift or toasting an achievement, I really do enjoy them all. It is like little mini Christmas celebrations scattered all through the year, often with the same wrapping paper.

     What's not to love about that?