An Everyday Celebration

Yesterday was my 40th birthday.

It was a pretty ordinary day.

Neil worked from home, and went out to a couple of appointments.

The cleaning lady came mid-morning.

Grace and Charlotte ate and played. Lucinda fed and slept. There were moments when all three were crying at once and wanting attention. And there were a few quieter moments too.

I received a couple of phone calls, and quite a few text messages, wishing me a happy birthday. Some packages arrived - a gift card and massage voucher from my brother and his wife, and a message in chocolate from my parents.

The "Chocogram" Mum sent.

Grace helped me bake a cake, which she and Charlotte later enthusiastically decorated - by pouring all the sprinkles on top! And I asked Neil to take them to the party shop to buy half a dozen balloons. For Grace, it isn't a proper birthday unless there are balloons.

Getting ready to cut the cake.

Neil kindly organised some take away pizza for tea, so I didn't have to cook. And that was about it.

I've always been the sort of person who is into big events, or at least marking what I consider to be significant milestones with meaningful gestures. So this is a bit unusual for me. But, as you are already aware, my current circumstances don't lend themselves to overseas adventures or lively celebrations.

But maybe that is OK. Maybe spending the day caught up in the mundane, everyday activities of life with three young children is the best thing I could have done.

My life has involved travel to exotic destinations. It has included parties and celebrations. And I hope it will again.

But right now. my life is about my family. And for a little while, they are young enough that there's not much room for anything else.

I count myself very fortunate to be married and to have children.  This hasn't been an option for many of my friends. So I'm going to do my best to enjoy it while I can.

After all, there's nothing more meaningful than spending time with the people you love. And that's the sort of celebration I can repeat over and over again.