Birthday Month

At some point in time - circa 1986 or so - I stopped celebrating my birthday. One day, it seemed, simply wasn't enough, so I started having a birthday weekend. Over time, it grew and evolved and within a few years it became what it is today.

September: my birthday month.

You can thank my best friend Patrick for that. He introduced all of his nearest and dearest to the concept, and helped us celebrate in big and small ways. And so it began ...

Perhaps at some point, I should have grown up and relinquished my grip upon the idea of celebrating for not just a day. But as a girl who has always had to share her birthday (twin bro, ftw!), it's kinda fun to give yourself a reason to whoop it up all month long.

And so we begin Birthday Month 2013. It will include lots of celebrations that have nothing to do with me, including watching friends complete their second Ironman Triathlon in Wisconsin, and attending the wedding of friends who are truly more like family. It will also include a couple races, and maybe some hula pie.

What it always seems to include is a little introspection, too. My birthday always brings with it a sense of nostalgia, a longing for time that's escaped me. There are many things I wish I'd done differently in life, and sometimes it's emotional. Yeah, this year I've already been stuck in my head a fair amount, but I'll allow it ... as long as it doesn't keep me from celebrating. It's hard to forget that on my birthday in 2001, I got married ... and by the time our fifth anniversary rolled around, the prince of a guy I married had moved out and moved on. It is what it is, but I will probably always have a little bit of "what if" in me - what if I'd said "I don't" and all that? But my marriage was a learning experience, and I hope I let it change me for good.

I will be spending this month stretching myself - literally, by getting back to yoga, and figuratively, by asking a bit more of myself as I work toward my goals. It won't be easy (hell, I have big goals - from saving money to running a faster half marathon) but it will be worth it. I am not getting any younger, and that's pretty much crystal clear this year. This, my friends, is go time.

I can't think of a better time to continue getting started. Next year at this time, I hope to have some solid results. The time will pass, anyway ... go!