When did birthdays become something to dread? I remember the days when I looked forward to my birthday, because I knew there would be cake and presents, maybe even a party. I don't remember when the celebration stopped. Maybe it was after my son was born, and I had someone else to focus my energy on. Maybe it was after I entered my 40's and admitted that I was middle-aged. I'm not really sure when it was. I just know that at some point, I was no longer interested in celebrating the anniversary of my birth. Yesterday was my birthday. My 48th to be exact. I would have been perfectly happy treating it like any other day, but my friends and my family, however, refused let the day pass without notice. It started early - on Monday afternoon - when I checked my mail and found a card from my sister, addressed to "The Fabulous & Amazing Le'Ann Ruggles". Then Tuesday night, a few minutes before midnight, the greetings started filling my Facebook wall. All day long, my phone was buzzing with Facebook posts, IMs, and even singing voicemails. Lunch was a long, relaxed and entertaining conversation with my friend, Jim - and good food, too.
When I got home, there were more cards and my husband, who insisted on taking me out for dinner to one of my favorite restaurants. I completely forgot about my weight-loss plan as we enjoyed a wonderful meal of fried catfish. The evening festivities were complete when my son called me to sing his own version of Happy Birthday.
All in all, it was a wonderful day. I felt very special and very loved.
I'm actually looking forward to next year.
