In which I find other ways to celebrate February 10 than buying an iPhone.

Last night, my friend who lives upstairs asked if she could borrow Jin for five minutes in the morning. She was being all mysterious, but when I sent him up the stairs before leaving for work today I was certain he'd return with something birthday-related attached to his collar. I don't have a PhD for nothing, you know.

So I was surprised a couple minutes later when I heard Jin's footsteps on the stairs and he came running back into the bathroom where I was doing my hair, tail wagging, exactly as I'd sent him up moments before. Nothing on the collar. A moment later I heard my friend Jenny's footsteps on the stairs and I met her at the door to the laundry room where she was holding balloons and a card. "I wanted Jin to take these down to you," she said, "but he left so quickly that I couldn't get them attached!"

If you're not chuckling right now, it's because you don't know that Jin is desperately afraid of balloons. Jin, sadly, has not enjoyed my birthday as much as I have, with the balloons hovering just at the edge of his vision all day.

 While today was stressful and traumatic for Jin, for me it was rather uneventful as far as birthdays go Weekday birthdays are easier celebrated on the upcoming weekend. Still, the lesson I learned last year is that the universe likes birthdays, and with the right attitude the universe will conspire in my favor on my birthday. I assume the universe will do the same thing for anyone. You should try it. Today, for example, I had to wake up at 5 in the morning (I'm a morning person, but not usually that morning of a person), and whereas last week when I had to do the same thing I rolled over at 5 and could find very little to be cheerful about, this morning I rolled over at 5 and thought, "It's 5:00! And I'm awake! I should go run my morning run! Faster than I've ever run it before!" And then I did.

And that was kind of the pattern for the day. Aside from all the birthday wishes from family and friends, nothing really noteworthy stands out. But all the little mundane events were colored by bright, cheerful birthdayness. Cheerios for breakfast! Seeing my students! Talking with a colleague! Starting a sewing project! A chilly evening walk with Jin! Even the quick shopping trip I took to try to find black boots, a task I've periodically taken up and failed for two or three years now, was blessed with birthday luck when I found exactly what I'd always been looking for, in my size, on clearance, and when it then rang up for half the sale price I'd expected to pay. If the universe is going to conspire in my favor one day out of the year, I should take advantage of it.

And finally, I feel like I kind of skimmed over the birthday wishes from friends and family part in that last paragraph, but that was actually the best part of the day. February 10 may seem like a holiday all about me, but as I grow older I often find that, on my end, it's about recognizing the people who care about me because I also care very much about them. Thanks for being part of my life :).