At 6:05pm on May 10th, I officially turned 29. It's my Bee-Day, and I have to be honest - this was the most emotional one in a long time.
I'm not the type to shy away from my birthday. I love new beginnings. I love the possibilities that each new year brings. I love parties. I love gifts. I love birthday attention. It seems almost every awkward icebreaker I've participated in at networking events asks "What's your favourite holiday?" As self-centred as it may seem, "May 10th" is always my answer. Lol. What can I say? I LOVE my birthday!
So, what makes this birthday such a standout in my mind?
Well, it's the last year in a decade, and I'll be saying goodbye to my twenties soon. Farewell to drunken nights, summer flings, reckless shopping, and livin' la vida YOLO - hello to home ownership, sensible vehicle choices, and slowed metabolism. Or something like that. 29 is a great age to look back at the journey thus far, and get ready for the next part of the ride. My 9th and 19th years were amazing, so I'm predicting more of the same with 29.
As much as I love the "me me me!" attention I acquire on my birthday, I know I'm not the only person born on May 10th. Two very important people in my life, my cousins Marc and Michael, were also born on the same day, same year, and I can't think of better people to share my special day with. I've talked about my cousins before, especially Michael and the impact he left on me when he passed away in November. Today is the first birthday without him, so the bittersweet taste of the day has been lingering in my heart and mind since I started my annual Bee-Day countdown. Every time I excitedly referenced my upcoming birthday in conversation, I'd feel a pang of sadness - a reminder that he wouldn't be here for birthday texts, cake, and jokes about me being their honourary triplet sister. In texts back and forth with Marc today, he reminded me that Mike was still here with us today - and he's so right. So, happy birthday, Mike!
On Twitter and Facebook, I've been alluding to the fact that I would be ringing in Bee-Day #29 in a way that I never have before. What I meant by that requires a separate post of its own (which is coming!), but I'll share a bit with you now. Bright and early on my birthday morning, I opened a few gifts (hello NARS blush! hello silver bracelet!), then headed downtown to a local hospital and had surgery. Not the usual birthday celebration, huh? I've referenced my cancer scare before, but that wasn't the end of the story. I was diagnosed with a pre-cancerous cervical lesion last month, and as my doctor wanted to expedite my treatment, surgery was scheduled right away - with the lucky date landing on my birthday. People asked me why I wouldn't just speak up and ask the doctor to change the date. The thought crossed my mind, but I kept the scheduled day for two reasons. One being that as soon as I know something is wrong, and as soon as there is a plan in place to take care of it, I don't like to delay. Especially anything related to cancer. Secondly, I'm a strangely symbolic person - so having this procedure done on my birthday even further strengthens the meme of 'new beginnings'. I still have some treatment to go through, but after this surgery, I'm even more motivated to live a healthier life. This diagnosis (which came almost a year to the day from Michael's leukemia diagnosis) has changed my mentality indefinitely. What a way to bring in 29!
So, what's next? Here I am, standing at the doorway of my 29th year, about to step over the threshold and into a new, exciting, and positive journey. 28 wasn't the greatest - though the highlight was my wedding and all the good things that brought, overall last year was stressful and sad. I'm hoping 29 rectifies that - wait. I know 29 is not only going to rectify that, but it's going to bring awesome and amazing things! All gold and sparkly and happy everything this year!
Are you a birthday fiend like me? What has been your favourite birthday thus far?
If you're in Toronto, don't forget to hit up Dazzling Lounge tonight for Fashionably Late's Timeline party! I'll still be shakin' a leg, but I might have to leave the table dancing to next year...I've been taking doctor's orders to rest up, but best believe I'm not gonna miss my Bee-Day celebrations! Come on out to watch me do the best subdued two-step you've ever seen!