Somebody asked me the completely normal question:
“So what are you doing for your birthday?”
I probably gave them a terribly disappointing answer.
Pretty much what I do every day.
I got up Tuesday morning and made my coffee.
It was my birthday, though, so I allowed myself an extra cup.
I know how to celebrate.
Then I headed over to Ilwaco to teach my two classes.
I genuinely love those people. Walking into the studio and spending the morning moving, laughing, talking and teaching doesn’t feel like something I have to do before I can get on with celebrating my birthday.
That was part of celebrating my birthday.
Although I did exercise a little birthday authority.
In our morning Flow class, I decided we were doing Warriors.
I don’t always put them in because some people struggle with them.
But Tuesday I announced:
“It’s my birthday, so we’re going to do Warriors today.”
Apparently with another year comes enormous power.
Nobody walked out.
While I was busy abusing my newfound authority, Peggy had plans of her own.
She knows I love chuck-eye steaks.
Not just steak.
Chuck eye.
So she decided my birthday required a trip to Reed & Hertig, our local meat distributor.
She came home with ten beautiful chuck eyes.
Ten!
Now that’s a woman who knows me.
I cooked one for dinner.
It was delicious.
Ten beautiful chuck-eye steaks for my birthday.
If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is!!!
And that was pretty much my birthday.
No big party.
No elaborate plans.
No bucket-list adventure.
Coffee.
Classes.
Warriors.
Peggy.
A really good steak.
Basically a regular day.
And somewhere in there I realized something.
People ask what you’re doing for your birthday because birthdays are supposed to be different.
You go somewhere special. Eat somewhere special. Do something you don’t ordinarily get to do.
And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But when I thought about what I would have changed about Tuesday, I couldn’t come up with much.
I got to wake up next to Peggy.
I got to drink my coffee.
I got to go teach people I genuinely enjoy being around.
Peggy went out of her way to bring home something she knew would make me ridiculously happy.
We ate dinner together.
Then we finished the day pretty much the way we finish a lot of days.
Nothing extraordinary happened.
And I liked it that way.
Maybe birthdays are supposed to make us take inventory.
Another trip around the sun.
Where am I?
Am I happy?
What do I want to change?
I didn’t sit down Tuesday morning and conduct an inventory.
I just lived my regular day.
And the inventory came out pretty damn good.
Peggy could bring home ten chuck-eye steaks tomorrow and I’d be every bit as happy.
I could teach Warriors again Thursday.
I can have coffee any morning I want.
That’s the thing.
Why would I want different?
Nothing special.
That’s kind of the point.
He was a happy boy! 10 steaks. It won't last him very long but it was all they had of his favorite cut. It's a simple and beautiful drive that can happen again soon when he is close to running out. We do experience a simple life that is perfect for us. Find your perfect . . . life is not perfection, but you can curate the life that brings you the joy where you are today.