Monday, August 1, 2022

It's birthday month

 Eh, why just have a birthday when you can have a birthday month?

Okay, the actual birthday is about three weeks away, but I've decided to give myself a month to very gently celebrate this not so monumental event. 

There's some freaky stuff going on in my brain about this birthday. My father passed away when he was a year older than I will be turning. And yes, I know it is purely a mind-fuck, as Dad was never a well man and the drugs they had him on for over a quarter of a century didn't help, and I don't have any of his medical conditions, thank heavens... but still, I'm reaching the age when my father died - and I've been aware of this for a long time. (can I also say that counteracting this, my mother is currently a sprightly 81 and her mother lived until she was 104.)

So, mortality is playing on mind. 

But instead of getting morbid, I'm giving myself a birthday month. 

Oh, the other thing - I've just realised that for the last two years, my birthday has been in hard lockdown. You couldn't go anywhere if you wanted to back then. 

Do I have any idea what I'll be doing on my birthday? No. As it's on a regular Friday night, I might be taking myself off to a movie, because that's what I do on Friday nights. 

At the moment, I have nothing planned. 

I've already bought myself a present - a ticket to see Michael Sheen in Amadeus at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall in January. I love Michael Sheen. I've never been to a performance at the Opera House. I've never seen Amadeus on stage (but I love the film). I think that's a lovely thing to do for myself. 

Who's Michael Sheen?

Here you go - I've got a thing for Welshmen. (And gawd, if they would only do more Under Milkwood...)


And maybe I should plan something to do. yes, I have a wide circle of friends who don't all get on with eachother (or I don't like to mix some groups with other groups), then there's the budget constraints. Some of me would love to go have a meal at the divine French place, Noir, on Swan Street. Bit expensive for some. Or find some great Spanish place, but where? Bomba? Asado? Go hunting around Fitzroy for somehere cool? Or higher end Mexican - think Mejico - I love it there. 

But birthday month is a time to be good to myself. A time to go to the gym a bit more, because I like how that makes me feel. 

It's a month to have a hot chocolate each night - that I'm using almond milk and vegan hot chocolate powder and skipping on the marshmallows is fine - it's my low-calorie sweet treat. (Though a bit of vanilla sugar might help it along even more).

My pledge to myself for birthday month is to do something I love every day, just for me. Small acts of self love. 

This evening's small act was slathering myself with this body lotion I'd not used before. It was a birthday present from a friend (who brought round fish and chips for my birthday the first year of lockdown - he's wonderful) It's toasted marshmallow in scent - in other words I smell just like a musk stick - and this to me is quite wonderful. 

I love musk sticks. 

Why not smell like one?

You have to take your happy where you find it. 

Today's song: 

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