The shaman visit was part of my plan for turning Fifty, which feels like starting my life over in a way. I’m starting the second half of my life. The biggest piece of course is that I paid off the student loan last year; I kept the Big Promise to myself to pay it off by Fifty. And I remain immensely proud and gratified I managed it. After that, I spent the year spending about a student loan payment’s amount of money every month on deferred maintenance and various repairs so it’s not like I feel any richer. But I kept that promise to myself.
Always keep the promises you make to yourself.
So now I get to think about some fun things I could do. Late January in northern climes sucks for a birthday-haver, esp. when you want to go big. I declared it a birthday month and it’s heading toward a birthday year, and it’s possible this new approach - which began as Indulging Myself and Having Fun - could become the new normal. My birthday month consisted of doing things I like but often do not allow myself, usually because they are not in the budget. 2018 was sort of the year of All the Things I Do Not Allow Myself, and now I know what many of them are and what the visible price tag is.
So a nice visit with the shaman to kick off 2019. I saw my good bodyworker, the Rolfer. I bought a ticket to go to the beach with family in the beginning of February. I paid the reg fee to attend Winter Fire. I decided to do something fun with my hair. I made plans for a birthday gathering of friends, a Happy Hour, the day before the birthday when I hoped more people would come. This was a bit complicated by weather and the shitdown, but it happened. There were several points before the birthday when Princess had a freak out. She was afraid no one likes her, no one was going to come to the party, she was upset Unkey didn’t seem to be interested in her big birthday, she was mad at Master for picking Sunday afternoon instead of Monday after work, she had some tough sledding there for a bit and Master wasn’t feeling too good about it either. Then the day before suddenly people were showing up.
We gathered at my favorite little restaurant. The staff there knows me and takes good care. I’ve done this enough it was relaxed. I provided a little buffet of appetizers, and everyone handled their own drinks. It was wonderful to be surrounded by people I love and enjoy, some I had thought low probability to attend and I was so happy they were there. Amazingly, boy mike was there, and that was such a satisfying experience to have him by my side. He was delightful and charming, subtly being just a bit of a host, keeping an eye on Me and My drink and My plate. When I had a problem with the tab, My knight was right there and fixed it smoothly. It was just as I like such things to be with My main boy, and something we really have never gotten to do before together. I loved it. The food was great, the staff great, the friends great. boy mike got to meet the man I met at NN and most of the other men there like cock too, he got to be in a group of fun, kind, kinky, delightful people, he finally got to experience what it is like to have friends who know all of who you are and accept it. We added energy to the restaurant as a group but without hurting their business by keeping others waiting who might have spent more. It was just a glowy experience on all levels, and I have plans to see the people who couldn't make it.
On my birthday, I slightly regretted not taking the day off of work, but I had come up with nothing I really wanted to do and no one to do it with, I consoled Princess with a promise we would have an ersatz birthday on another day when it is nicer. I walked in to the office and was handed flowers, which were from mom and dad. I opened my office door and found a vase of tulips and a ginormous birthday balloon tied to my chair by my three co-workers, which was so shocking I started laughing. Although in the office we often have trouble doing birthday lunch on the day of, they made it happen – which I did not even bother to hope for. And we walked to the same restaurant I was at the night before, which they did not know had occurred. It was great, because at the happy hour, I never actually had a meal. As we sat down the waiter pulled me aside and said that in his country, there is a saying that you know a person by their friends, and he wanted to tell me that the party last night confirmed his belief in me, because all my friends were so delightful. That was very touching, if a bit confusing to my colleagues. We had a long lunch, no hurrying to get back, and even though the talk was about their children and neighborhoods I know nothing about, so that I felt as I usually do, unable to participate in the conversation, it was still the high end of what my office environment is capable of.
On the way home, I took myself out to dinner then went home and had birthday calls with friends, and played with the bluetooth speaker boy t sent me as a surprise gift so that I can have music in the house on both levels.
Later in the week was the site’s monthly birthday gathering for all in the office having a birthday that month. The receptionist pulled me aside as she was ordering the cupcakes and asked what I would like. Half seriously I pointed to the ones with unicorns and rainbows on them, in light purple and light blue, and jestingly said these would be fun before suggesting more professional alternatives. Without me knowing, she ordered the fun ones. Princess got a light blue unicorn cupcake and a light purple rainbow cupcake IN THE OFFICE AT HER OFFICIAL JOB. That was really exciting for Princess.
A few days later, I went to visit the parents at the beach which got a bit messed up by the storms, so my flights were cancelled and the in re-booking I lost a full day of a five day trip. But I made the most of it by taking the check-in upgrades, so I got to fly first class both ways for a non-exorbitant amount. That felt VERY birthday. Princess loves first class.
Home for about a week and then I went and got the birthday hair, streaks of blue and just a little purple. I think the stylist got scared, it’s more subtle and professional and tends slightly to the mermaid side of things, but I am very happy with it. It’s not a bad thing to break the boss in slowly to this change. I can always amp it up over time a la frog-in-slowly-heating-pot.
And then a week later it was WinterFire and the big round birthday month was in the rear window. Except for one thing.
I struggled a lot with what to do for my birthday for most of the year, and in a desperation move, I asked Princess what she wanted.
Well.
As usual, she had a clear answer.
DIAMONDS!!!!
Uh-oh.
So I have been jewelry shopping for a little anniversary band. Five stones, one for each decade. Tiny stones and the best sparkle I can get for the money, so that when Master is humping away in the office, Princess can look at her hand and enjoy the shiny-sparkley that’s there just because she LIKES it.
Happy Birthday to us.
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