Birthdays are so different when you get older. Gone are the days when I get excited about birthdays. Maybe they will return again when I get to life expectancy. Then I will be proud to say I'm 80-and-a-half, just like small children are 5-and-a-half!
Now birthdays come and go and often I can't even remember how old I actually am and have to resort to a quick calculation from my date of birth!
Birthdays, in recent years, have become like Christmas in my mind but not in a good way. I feel pressure to conform to consumerism at these times. What do I want for my birthday/Christmas?
Actually, the answer is 'nothing that money can buy'. But it's really hard to say this as no one wants to hear it. Seriously though, I'm trying to simplify my life and possessions so adding more stuff that I don't need is really the opposite of a gift.
I get that people want to show that they care but they can't see that there are other ways to show that. Well, until this year...
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| My heroes, who keep me going forward in life |
This year was one of my most enjoyable birthdays in decades. It was well and truly centred around family and I loved it. There were no extravagant gifts, only well thought out ones that were tailored to me. They were useful gifts or catering to my bookworm needs. I have an addiction to books!
When hubby asked me over a month ago what I wanted for my birthday I said veggie seeds for the garden as it's that time of year when I start to plant them. He originally looked at me oddly and said, 'That's not a gift!'. I simply said that I didn't want to buy into consumerism anymore and that the seeds were practical and support my fledgeling hobby. Then I just forgot about it.
It turns out that my family took this to heart and I love them for it. I did indeed get my packet of veggie seeds for the garden. Hubby and Missy took things a step further though knowing that I value experiences and memories over material stuff.
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| Some of last year's seedlings, spinach, beans, carrots and something else? |
Hubby put together a homemade movie of our honeymoon from 5 years ago. I sat in bed with my morning tea and we watched a 30-minute movie of our honeymoon (Familymoon, as Missy came with us) made up of photos and video clips. We went on a cruise around the Western Mediterranean so Hubby also included a map that plotted our journey from port to port. He added regional music ofr each port to the backdrop that really set it off. There were also captions to add a bit about the history of each place, along with a few Daddy jokes, much to Missy's amusement. There were even end credits including 'filmed on location at...' with a list of all the places we went to. It was amazing. I'm not even ashamed to say a tear or two were shed.
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| On honeymoon. Wow, those steroids really did a number on me! |
Missy also tailored a gift to me. She put together the modern digital version of a mix tape for me. Some of my favourite songs were on there but many more from bands that I don't know but are *my* style. I like background music but music is not really my thing so Missy put together a playlist she thought I would like to save me from bothering to find new artists, because she knows that I won't. And I have to say, that I like every one of the songs and artists that she selected for me. Go, Missy! More tears escaped.
To say I'm touched by the effort and thought that went into these gifts is an understatement. I don't usually cry over gifts! I do love my photo albums (thanks Mam for another really pretty album) but I'd never before considered doing them digitally. I still print them out and stick them into albums. However, the movie version was great for watching together.
We're thinking of putting together another movie each year to watch on New Year's Eve as a recap of what we've done. We already have a rememberlutions jar that we read all the notes from on NYE. Although we have fallen out of this habit in the last 2 years. We've ended up writing the notes on NYE instead.
My custom made playlist will certainly help when I'm doing the mind-numbing tasks like housework. It's always easier to do with something to sing along to. It'll also remind me that I do it to keep a welcome and safe home for Missy.
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| Familymoon! |
My parents and brothers were also part of my birthday celebrations. They all came to visit, which is a gift in itself and I always love. I had more practical garden based gifts and Amazon vouchers to feed my Kindle addiction. They know me so well! I need to get some more soil now and I'm ready to convert the conservatory into my greenhouse. So much more convenient as no wellie boots are needed!
Also, in an anti-consumerism move, I didn't have an over-priced gluten-free (tastes like sawdust) birthday cake. Instead, I made a peach cobbler and poured custard over it. I didn't bother with a candle as it would have needed a life raft with the amount of custard I have! In winter a hot pudding goes down much better anyway!
As for now being the meaning to life, the universe and everything... it's a journey. I'm slowly finding *my* meaning to life and it is all about the journey.
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