Celebrating Life

Birthdays are kind of a big deal at our house and usually require multiple celebrations over the course of several days, and Jeff's 43rd is no exception. As a teacher, this can usually go two ways. Luckily, he is pretty popular with the kids, so when I told the choir students on Monday that his birthday is today it was enough to ensure many happy wishes. As a matter of fact, he came home with a balloon bouquet, several talking cards, and a boatload of goodies (including six of the super size candy bars, six regular size candy bars, eight mini candy bars, a plate full of two-bite cupcakes, and a container of monkey bread). In addition to that, many faculty and staff members made sure to stop in and wish him a happy day.

So, how does a wife compete with this kind of attention? It isn't easy. We started by taking everyone out to dinner at Pei Wei (birthday boy's choice), but I won't bore you with the details since I have extolled this restaurant's virtues on many occasions. Tomorrow, we will be going to a local comedy club where improvisation is a team competition based on suggestions from the audience. Then, on Saturday, we're having a few friends over for dinner. (I'll fill you in on the menu this weekend.)

Some people might think all this hoopla is overkill, but I disagree. When I was younger, I thought I shouldn't advertise my birthday because I might be embarrassed by all the attention. (Or worse yet, what if I told people, but no one cared? Yikes!) However, I had a friend who celebrated his birthday for nearly an entire month. Every time he wanted to go out or see a movie or take a road trip, he'd say "Since it's my birthday..." Once those magic words were uttered, all of us were game for the adventure. After watching how much fun he (and the rest of us) had, I realized that people want to join in and add to our happiness, and an over-the-top celebration is fitting. Truly, when will we ever be this age again? When will we be in this place at this time with these friends again? Life is short, eat dessert (particularly candy bars and mini cupcakes) not just first, but frequently and in large portions because you won't get a do-over tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Jeff.