Life Lesson #7: Celebrating Birthdays

September 23rd was my birthday. I am now 39 years old! My birthday was an emotional and meaningful day for me. Why? Well, one year ago, I was sick on my birthday because I was undergoing chemotherapy. The side effects prohibited me from fully celebrating and enjoying my special day. But, guess what? This year, I am alive and feeling GREAT. I am in remission and my health is in good standing - I am happy to report that I am feeling normal again. After a year of experiencing difficult health challenges, I had begun to lose hope. September 2021is the first month (I think) that I’d almost forgotten that I had cancer!

Do you know what I did for my birthday? I celebrated ME. I took myself out on a birthday date and catered to myself! I treated myself to a facial, massage, and a body contouring session. I took the time to invest in myself and my day was filled with self -love.

My definition of a birthday is a day to celebrate you.

I want you to remember:

• You were birthed to become the person you want to become.

• You were birthed to have dreams and goals that are only prescribed to you.

• You were birthed to love and embrace the NOW - your current being - not who you dreamt of being.

• You are birthed to enjoy life.

Friend, celebrating your birthday should be all about you. Make it special and exciting! Do this for yourself because you should always carve out time for you and if other people decide to celebrate your birthday with you, think of it as just a bonus because you are loved and you’ve made a positive impact on the people surrounding you.

But have YOU celebrated YOU? Have YOU made plans for your birthday to focus on YOU? Just you.

Not others to celebrate the birthday for you.

Do this for yourself.

You are special.

You are YOU.

Let’s go back to talk about my birthday.

I took the day off from work. I received Happy Birthday texts and Marco Polo messages from my dearest circle of friends. The number of friends in my circle is minuscule-- and love that!

After a full day of celebrating ME (while both of my children were at school and my husband was at work), here’s what happened:

• My two beautiful children were well-behaved, and there was zero fighting between them. They said Happy Birthday to me when they first woke up 🡪That is a lovely gift.

• My beloved and devoted husband purchased a beautiful real rose in a global glass. 🡪 That is a memorable gift.

• My husband took us out to eat at an amazing delicious Mexican restaurant. 🡪 This is a marvelous, unforgettable, and enjoyable night to embrace.

Friend, if you do not celebrate birthdays because of an unfortunate traumatic event, I am giving you my love, empathy, and hugs to assure you that I see you. I believe you. You are unique and valuable in the world. Do you know what? You do not have to stay in that darkness anymore. Yes, friend, I said that with a straightforward loving tone. You are the only one that can change that. You are the only one that can step out of the darkness and walk into the light. You are the only one that can change your mind and the narrative surrounding your birthday.

The change begins with you.

So, what does that mean? On your next birthday, celebrate you - it is the ultimate healing.

September 23, 2021, was the FIRST birthday celebration where I celebrated ME.

For YEARS, I had waited for others to celebrate my birthday for and with me. I waited and looked for the texts, video messages, and social media shout-outs to see if anyone said “Happy Birthday” to me. I focused on people, not me. I was only thinking of other people’s opinions. I put myself last. I allowed the external circumstances to disappoint me because they were not meeting my expectations.

Nope, not this year! I changed that. I wanted to have a GREAT birthday to celebrate the last year of being in my 30s, so I planned my birthday and woke up with excitement and anticipation that my birthday would be a GREAT one. It was not about how many people said, “Happy Birthday.” It was not about how many gifts I received from people. It was not about what people did for my birthday. It was about HOW I was celebrating ME. Try that mindset. That attitude will make you feel different. You will have an adjusted perspective on celebrating the very special YOU!

Love,

Ana