This year on my birthday, I woke up in a great mood. I’m pretty sure I said out loud to myself in a quirky voice, “It’s my BIRTHDAY!” And I might possibly have said it again multiple times throughout the day. To myself. In the mirror. With a big, goofy grin.
I was blessed to grow up in a family where birthdays were a day of being celebrated; of loved ones letting me know just how much I was loved. So, for me, “It’s my BIRTHDAY!” was a constant reminder that this particular day was a day where I was loved, cherished and celebrated by the people in my life who matter most.
And that statement I spoke over myself, with all the emotions accompanying it, made my birthday a pretty fantastic day. Even though I had to work, got stuck in traffic, made last-minute lunch plans so I didn’t eat alone on my birthday, found out Bryan forgot it was my birthday, etc… I had a great day because I had already decided it was intrinsically a great day, just by nature of it being my birthday.
I think there was a lot of power in my mindset on my birthday this year. It pains me to say it, because obnoxiously positive people make me want to punch them in the face simply because of the toxicity of their sunny dispositions, but I would love to figure out how to convince myself every day that it is a great day.
It would probably help if every other day out of the year, I was getting flowers at work and chocolates in the mail. It would probably also help if the inherent fabric of my being was not so akin to April Ludgate.
But seriously. What phrases could I substitute for, “It’s my BIRTHDAY!”? What statements could I speak over myself every day?
Maybe… There is a plan for today. This day was written before time began (even the awful parts).
Or… Today, I am loved and celebrated (even if no one sends me chocolate).
Or perhaps… There are good works prepared beforehand for me to live out today (hopefully I don’t fail).
I’ll work on getting rid of the subtext. Baby steps.
Authentically Aurora