This is 36

Birthdays no longer feel like a big deal to me. I used to love it when people fawned all over me on my birthday but now I just want it go by without much notice or fanfare. A nice dinner and a stroll through my favorite bookstore in Ann Arbor was all I needed tonight to feel content and relaxed. It was a much-needed respite from the stress I've been feeling from school, work, and the upcoming NCTE convention next week. All of these things are good sources of stress, but sometimes even good sources of stress can overwhelm you when they show up all at once. So tonight I put everything aside, enjoyed my dinner, enjoyed the quality time with my husband, and I especially enjoyed walking into my favorite bookstore where the owner knows me by name and I can strike up conversations with random strangers about the books on display. Celebrations don't always have to shout. Sometimes instead they speak in low, languid tones. I've decided that's how I like my birthdays.

Putting Birthdays in Perspective

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 35. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but at my new school, teachers' birthdays are announced over the PA in the morning so just about every teacher and every student wished me a Happy Birthday yesterday, in addition to being serenaded four times (even though I only have three classes).

Despite my somewhat curmudgeonly attitude, I am thankful for birthdays. Yes, as you get older they become less and less important and not the Big Deal they are when you're younger (I kinda forgot it was my birthday until my husband reminded me), but they also take on a new significance. We can wallow in self-pity that we are getting older, or we can celebrate that this beautiful thing called Life gave us the privilege of one more year. I choose to be thankful for one more year.

Thankful for the privilege of getting older

Slice of Life is brought to you by Two Writing Teachers