Who Doesn’t Love their Birthday?

Birthdays. An oddly polarizing topic. There seems to be two camps of people, those who look forward to fully celebrating their birthday and those who can do without it(or so they claim). I am certainly the former, embracing not only the day but a full “birthday week”. When I was younger, my favorite response to “what is your favorite holiday day” was, as you might guess “MY BIRTHDAY!” That attitude toward my birthday has only been solidified by finding out my birthday, July 20th, is literally National Natalie Day. How could I not celebrate? I have my very own holiday!!!

The way I celebrate my birthday has been ever evolving. As a summer baby, I never got to celebrate in the classroom. However, I was more than okay with that because it meant I always had my birthday off. I didn’t have many birthday parties growing up. I do recall a few when I was pretty young, but as I got into my tween years I much preferred celebrating with one friend. I went to NYC and my favorite amusement park, Knoebels https://www.knoebels.com/ for a few birthdays. Having a birthday in July, there were many times I was on vacation with my family. Wherever it was, I made sure to make the most of the entire day.

I’d be lying if I said as I get older, my birthday doesn’t come with a sense of melancholy. Maybe that emotion really was written in the July stars. In astrology, Cancers are known for being very sensitivehttps://blog.prepscholar.com/cancer-traits-personality But I argue it’s a feeling many empathize with. The days leading up to my birthday and after I spend in a lot of reflection. I think about my past year, my past birthdays, what has changed, and what has stayed the same. My 22nd birthday was the first time in my life that I did not spend with my parents. I had already moved into my college apartment and chose not to come home. It was also the first one in several years that I did not see some of my best friends from home. I was now celebrating with my college roommate and new friends. Not a bad feeling but different.

I think about being a teenager looking forward to driving at 16, being able to vote at 18, and legally drinking at 21. Now I guess the next best thing is I can rent a car next year at 25? I don’t think I consider that an exactly thrilling milestone. I imagine the age I’m turning now when I was younger. I try to avoid feeling an impending doom of my birthday as some sort of life countdown, and instead internalize the lessons I’ve learned to make the next year better. Easier said than done and I’m only 24!

I usually don’t easily accept “I don’ like my birthday/I don’t want to do anything” from those close to me. My love for birthdays isn’t exclusive to my own. I just find the premise of them to be wholesome and something everyone should embrace. As I said, it’s a holiday just for you even if you don’t have a National Holiday like me, lol! Separate of milestones like graduations & retirements, and the end of someone’s life, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of space to celebrate the ones we love and ourselves for simply being here and being us. We could all do more of that on a daily basis but at a minimum, embracing birthdays feels like good place to start.

Happy Birthday to all my fellow July Babies and the rest of the zodiac chart!