My Birthday

Well, I got through my birthday. Another first to be checked off in this first year of living alone. Yesterday was the first time I didn’t get a super sized, super mushy Hallmark card from Steve, one that he would personalize by covering all the empty white spaces with one long run on, rambling sentence, punctuated randomly with exclamation marks and heavy underlines. It was a tradition that I always made fun of but always looked forward to. He usually placed the card under my pillow for me to find early in the morning. And then I had to read it out loud to him while he nodded agreement. So sweet.

Well yesterday there was no card under my pillow but there was a bunch of balloons standing pertly outside my bedroom door to greet me first thing on my birthday. That was one of many surprises my wonderful daughter had planned to make my day special and not sad. The day began with a private yoga class with my favorite instructor. The day ended at a fun new restaurant where we were joined, much to my surprise and delight, by my BFF and my Sistah. I am a very lucky woman.