You know that one kid in the family that knows everyone’s birthday by heart, plans towards it and ensures the day is well celebrated? Well, that was me!
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Not only did I completely memorize everyone’s, family and friends included, birthdays but I also always planed how we were to celebrate it. My parents thought I was just a social butterfly, always ready to party and eat cake. And to be honest, there wasn’t any deeply meaningful reason why I enjoyed celebrating birthdays, I was just like every other regular kid, probably with a little more excitement but yeah, still a regular kid.
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When I was younger, I would remind my mum 1 month before anyone in the family’s birthday so we’d start planning how to surprise the person, decorate our little living room, bake some home-made cake and just sing the good ol’ “happy birthday to youuuu” rhyme. The truth is, I don’t think it was about the cake, I didn’t even like sweet sugary things as a child, it wasn’t about the present either, there’s just this jolliness and excitement around events like birthdays, Christmas and graduations. At least, we had that as kids but somehow, it got lost in this labyrinth called adulthood.
This excitement and childhood jolliness wasn’t just extended to others but also to myself. I enjoyed celebrating my birthday, I enjoyed basking in the glorious honor that a day was totally mine, well at least, I thought it was until adulthood wisdom made me aware that there are probably more than 2 million people with the same birthday as mine. Does that make it any less special? YES! Unlike people that get excited to see their birthday mates, I don’t. Because that’s one more person that makes the day less mine! I’m just joking, lol. Am I?
I remember watching Barbie, 12 dancing princesses with my sister while we were growing up, I can still sing the rendition the sisters sang for the last triplet princesses on their birthdays, “Today, it is your birthday and we sing to let you know, that you will be queen for the day, whatever you say goes. We sing for you Vanessa as we sing for you Katherine, that you will be queen for the day….” And that’s when the song got interrupted by the evil villain and her monkey, lol. That song became a special rendition that I’d sing to my sister and my friends on their birthdays.
Growing older, I certainly would say I’ve lost a little bit of the birthday sparkle and excitement, just a little bit. I still absolutely enjoy putting together a photoshoot, snapping and editing the pictures for the people special to me, arranging a little midnight surprise to wake them up to an array of gifts and good wishes for the day, being the first to wish them a happy birthday, lol, you know, all those silly little details makes even the hardest heart soften. As we know, there are people whose birthdays mean nothing to them, or so they like to claim.
I believe that the reason I stopped being overly excited about birthdays is because, oh well, this gen Z era is nice, but it has also ruined some things, it has dulled the sparkle and shine the early 2000’s had. In this present era, especially as an adult, you have to try not to do too much, otherwise people are gonna wonder if something’s wrong with you. And aside all that, this is the era where people just send you money along with a “happy birthday” caption. Gone are the days where people actually arrange gifts in accordance to what the birthday girl/boy would like. I don’t know if it’s because of the busy schedule that comes with adulthood or because people just can’t be bothered.
As for me, none of those above stated reasons dimmed my excitement. It’s just that, for a while, I was so drained by giving all that love and not receiving it back on my birthday. So now, I have shifted my focus to the people that truly matter. For my family and very good close friends, I still maintain that excitement. But for others, I just send good wishes.
I’m still that kid that remembers everyone’s birthdays, plans ahead of it, prepares meaningful gifts and sings the cheesy songs. I just have my priorities right about who to do those things for.
Nevertheless, despite the fact that I never attached any meaningful definition to why I was always excited to celebrate everyone’s birthday, I do remember telling my ex something when he once said, "Birthdays are just like any other day." I looked at him and said, "No, they’re not. It’s the day your mother fought for both of you, the day she heard your first cry, the moment she felt a wave of relief, overwhelming joy, and the surreal satisfaction of finally holding the baby she had carried for all those months, maybe even more than nine. It’s a day that marks her strength, her victory, and your perseverance. Sure, it may seem like just another day, but 21 years ago, it was the day, one that meant everything to your mum and your entire family as they marveled at your tiny toes. Isn’t that worth celebrating?".
I’m not sure if that is why I believe birthdays are special but I do know that everyone deserves to be extremely happy at least, that once in a year.
And that is why, I’ll be dedicating this article to my beautiful mum. Thank you for making our birthdays colorful year after year after year. My 20th pink Asooke is a proof of that, lol. Love you mum! 🥰
All images are mine!
Thank you for reading!