Happy Birthday to Me

Yesterday was my birthday. I had been looking forward to my birthday this year. DH was going to get me a pannini grill and we were going to spend the evening together eating pannini even though he hates to have sandwiches for dinner. It would have been fun.

But I forgot all about it. Yup, I forgot my own birthday. And nobody reminded me.

Sure, my mom remembered; she left me a message complaining how I'm never home. My husband did buy me the Panini grill and he did hide it in a closet and say I had to forget about it and that i had to pretend to be surprised when he gave it to me on my birthday. But when I woke up this morning happy that it was my birthday and that I was finally going to have my long waited for panini he kept saying "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I forgot your birthday". And even with all the apologies it took me a while to realize that today, Wednesday, is the 28th not the 27th like I had originally thought.

I have no clue how I mixed up my dates and thought today was the 27th. Yesterday I did check the date on my syllabus to see what i was teaching. And when I recieved my contract I did sign nd date it. I even saw tons of ads for the Republican debate on CNN and was reminded endless times to tune in on WEDNESDAY November 28th for it.

And, it's not like people totally forgot. DH did get me a nice gift which is still hiding somewhere. And he did even plan a birthday party for me last weekend at his parents' house where his mom made the most delicious stuffed turkey breast in her toaster oven because I love turkey and her oven is broken.

It's just that every year on the day of my birthday I take time to think of my friends and family and the people that I am thankful to have in my life. And this year it's almost as if they never remembered me. But it's not true. I am sure they remembered or will remember. There are notes from my cousins on my facebook page. My friends will surely send me e-cards in the next few days apologizing for forgetting my birthday. That's what I do for their birthdays every year :) They do care. I know that. It's just that everyone is busy and that I keep moving because of education and because of work.

I have been in Montreal for less than a year and today I realize that in the last year I have not made any new friends. I wake up, take care of my son, go to work, get my son from day care and if i am lucky get to spend a little bit of time with my over worked husband before we all go to bed, exhausted.

I have so many friends that I love and I know that they all love me and miss me just as much as I miss them. But it seems that life (and moving too much) has interfered with those friendships. I am grateful to e-mail, facebook and cheaper long distance charges that allow me to stay in touch with them. But, I have to admit that I have not been as good as I would like to be at keeping in touch. But this birthday reminds me that I need to invest time in my friends and in myself.

This year my birthday resolution is to spend a lot more time talking to my beloved friends. And a little bit of time making new friends. Not because I want people to remember me on my birthday, but because I miss those people and I really love them.

Happy Belated Birthday to me!