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a very happy half-birthday to me


Yesterday was my half-birthday, which is something I've celebrated for as long as I can remember. Growing up with a birthday in August was usually anti-climatic in school settings. Yes, my mom would send in cupcakes for the class during the first week of school because my mom was and is the best, and sure, it was great that I didn't have to be in school on my birthday (even in college, it was syllabus week), but August was always a big vacation month, so my birthday party for my friends would usually get delayed anyway. Enter the half-birthday. Unprompted by my parents, I decided that I would find a separate day each year that would be totally dedicated to myself. And that's how the tradition of my half-birthday was born. My half-birthday - February 24th - is a great time to celebrate, too, because not much happens between New Year and St. Patrick's Day, which is probably my favorite holiday of all. I'm not sure exactly where the idea of a half-birthday came from, but I did always enjoy the "Unbirthday" scene from "Alice in Wonderland" when I was a child, so perhaps the answer lies in that scene somewhere. And as a side note, if you ever meet my mother, just make sure you ask her about the time she caught me painting the roses red.

I've always been someone who loves to celebrate. Any reason - no matter how small - to cheer someone on is reason enough in my book. Life can be hard, so it's important to rejoice in the little things and the small victories of life. Yesterday was about doing just that. Did I do anything insanely crazy? No, not really, but I took in every moment as it happened and reflected about every turn my life has taken over the last 27.5 years and how far I've come as a results of those twists and turns. My morning was all about relaxing and taking it easy. I'm an early riser, but I woke up 15 minutes later than usual (allowing myself to sleep in after having had class the night before where I laughed so hard I nearly puked), took my puppy on an extra long walk around the neighborhood, made myself a strong cup of coffee with honey, went to the gym, and caught up on the latest episode of "This Is Us" - that Memphis episode... just wow! My afternoon then consisted of grocery shopping where I chatted with some strangers about new recipe ideas, puppy play time, and banging out fifteen more pages of a screenplay I love writing because I can get lost in the world and its characters.

The icing on the half-birthday cake, however, came last night when my musical improv team - Garage Band - killed it at the Quick and Funny Musical Cabaret. We were so excited to be able to perform as part of the show, and I'm just so grateful to be part of such an amazingly eclectic, creative group of talent. That I got to perform musical improv on my half-birthday is such a wonderful treat.

And today? Well, it's no longer my half-birthday, but I'm still going to keep on celebrating life and how amazing it's been thus far. I'm gonna make myself a strong cup of coffee, write a few more pages of that screenplay, and then enjoy the rest of the plans I made for the day - off the grid. Cheers to the next six months. I just know they're going to be amazing!


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