The Little Things

I saw the myspace page of a long lost friend the other day, and it had her age listed as 30. My first thought was, "What? My birthday's coming up? She wasn't older than I am. How can she already be 30?" And then I realized that I am about to turn 31. Apparently the fact that my age doesn't bother me has little to do with being well adjusted and a lot to do with self delusion.

Truthfully, my age doesn't bother me one bit. I rarely think about it. I don't feel 30, so who cares if I am? I don't. In fact, for a birthday that many of my peers were dreading, I took a fun little trip to celebrate. To me, birthdays are awesome fun-filled times... definitely not something to be dreaded.

This year is no different. Over thirty? No problem. Bring it! So what if I'm sore after working out without stretching first. Meh. I'm still young! Who cares if woo girls now make my head hurt. I'm still young! Nevermind that I get over crushes just because they don't know the significance of Grant Park. I'm still young!!!

Right.

Apparently there is an age where birthdays are no longer a big deal. At least, this is what I've been told. I just happen to have not reached that age yet. I LOVE my birthday. Love it. I'm in a perpetual good mood for the month of January. Anything remotely birthday related makes me happy. Today when I mentioned my latest craving, my boss went out in the cold and purchased me a bag of Funyons and some Coca-Cola*. This is a nice gesture on any freezing day, but today he left it for me in the kitchen with a bow and a card. Happy Birthday to me!! Best. Gift. Ever. The card says "Cute and Knows Everything" on the front and comes with a sticker that has the acronym "CAKE." I'm wearing the sticker all day tomorrow. Trust.

Obviously, it doesn't take much to make me happy in January - a fact that the boy does not understand but takes frequent advantage of.

"Emily, I let the dogs out for you."
"Happy birthday to me!!"

"Emily, I brought my laundry over, but you don't have to do it, I will."
"This is a great birthday!"

"Emily, I the pizza before you got home, but I did save you some Dr. Pepper."
"What a great present!!"

Okay, so those are slight exaggerations**, but you get the idea. My little brother called me yesterday to see if I wanted to hang out on my birthday. He, quote, 'didn't want me to spend my birthday alone.' Are you kidding me? I've packed my weekend. Packed it. Some people don't even know why we're hanging out this weekend specifically, and I'm not going to tell them. That's not the point. I just want to be surrounded by friends this weekend. They're one of the most important parts of my life and I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday. After all, you don't turn this old every day. It really is just the little things***.

*obviously I am making an effort to eat healthier in the new year.
**He didn't eat ALL of the pizza. I caught him eating the last slice which he then handed over to me.
***This doesn't mean you're off the hook for presents, though. Just some of you. You know who you are. Yes, I'm looking at you zlionsfan.