Birthday Hoo Ha.

So, this is it in less than 12 hours-I will be 25 years old. I thought it would only be appropriate for me to write about the frustration that birthdays bring at this time of my life. I can only begin with the fact that Birthdays after the age of 21 begin to suck. Really, they just start to suck.
Why? Because after that age you start to pay more attention to the fact that time is ticking away and you literally are not getting any younger. When I was in my teens it was great-I was moving upward and onward-each birthday meant I was closer to freedom by driving, drinking legally, and voting. (Note: Do not do all of these together or at the same time-may cause problems.)

Now, as each year passes I find myself depressed by the slow movement of my career, I'm not a millionaire yet or running my own company. I learn to be more cynical about people and less hopeful about them. For a brief period I was getting less cynical and more excited about my career. This all stems from working doggedly and ceaselessly to attain my goals. And really I am getting to these goals-but very slowly and the progress made does not balance out my need to save money prepare for retirement and work on the big picture.

A lot of people would say my problems are common to those in their 20's and especially people in my age group working in a competitive industry. The struggling, the abusive jobs, all of it, I think what would cure my birthday blues is a guarantee of success and knowing it was worth it...but this is not possible.

Then there are the logisistics of birthdays-what day to celebrate it on? The actual day or the closest Saturday? Whether or not to have a party? Will someone throw you a party? I have had people surprise me with cakes and presents before-it's always a treat. If you do plan a party, there are complaints from even your most well meaning friends about locations, times, costs, the weather-(Hello, this is my birthday party!!!! As one friend pointed out, your friends should do what you want to do for that special day.) And of course you only care about their feelings and concerns if you are someone who is truly considerate-or maybe too considerate in my case. I.E. you don't want to be that person who holds their birthday at the 4 Seasons Hotel in Georgetown and expects everyone to splurge on expensive drinks themselves and you!
Then there are the details of a party, once the location and date have been chosen, the RSVP's for example-our culture is defunct in the most basic way when it comes to considering a host or hostess's needs. People say they will come and do not show up-or even call to cancel, they bring extra people, or no people after they have put in a specific number for dinner reservations. Sometimes they don't reply at all to invitations, simply showing up when it is inconvenient and expect special exceptions to be made for them. And at the end of the day-who wants to be picky with their friends??? It's a gross disregard for the birthday person on the part of the friend-but it's how most people conduct parties.
The planning process can make even the most happy and fun loving person weary. But, no birthday party at all would be even worse so-an admittance to defeat is not an option. And I must admit throwing a party is great fun and really the best part of the day. It's an excuse to shop and prep, to dress up and be fun. I think that's really what birthdays are about-celebrating life-even though your life at the moment may not be that great-or only as good as it gets(horrifingly enough). You can make a million changes to your life and you will still find yourself back at square one-working on your flaws, wanting to take a nap, and trying to be positive in the face of set backs. It's all you can do to plan a party, get dressed up, and smile. It's all you got and it does make you happier in the end, I think......