9 Days

That was the result for this years’ “guess when you receive the ‘what do you want to do for your birthday this year’ phone call from mum”. 9 days.
You know its going to come, yet you don’t ever actually have an answer. I’m now at the ‘don’t really want to celebrate my upcoming adage of time to my personnel file’.

When you are young you planned your birthday 11 months in advance. You knew where you wanted your party, what kind of cake and which friends you were going to invite. You looked forward to the party, presents and attention you got. That lasts until just before a teen. Then the age is taken in steps. Yes you want to hit 13, then 16, then 18 then 21. By that time you are ready to face the world.

Then it gets murky; mid 20s, late 20s, mid 30s, late 30s, you hit the hill, slide down it, then hit the half century. Now again it changes – almost retiring – looking forward to that! Each following years' denomination is a feat. If you get past 80 you look forward to hitting each year, trying to last out to the big 100. You age with pride. Is she really 93? She doesn’t look a day over 85?

So you look back over the last 12 months and decide whether you actually did anything. In my case I haven’t really changed one bit, except, I am several kilos lighter but also almost broke. I’m still looking for a third job to help with the two I am surviving on at the moment. But besides that I am pretty happy. I enjoy my work, enjoy my play, and enjoy my simple uncomplicated life.

So I have concluded from my vast amount of knowledge, that there comes a time when birthdays change. It is no longer about what you want or don’t want, it’s about your mum. While I may not want to acknowledge it, mum does, whether she wants you to know it or not. At some point birthdays become the day your mum wants to remember. The day she gave you life and each year, the person you have grown up to be. I know some people would jump at the chance to swap shoes, so while I may dread each time the phone rings hoping not to hear that that dreaded question, I am somewhat grateful that I will eventually get it.

So out of all of this, what was my response? What have I planned for the big day? I still don’t know. I have a couple of days to mull it over before the phone will ring again and I will hear that question again…