Miscellaneous Magic || It’s the Birthday Day!

The time is upon us once more!

The fabled birthday day, which arrives every year with precision and should surprise no one, least of all me, is here! As always, it seems to have crept up behind me with vicious intent, only to gently bonk me over the head at the last second. Probably with one of those inflatable kids’ boxing gloves from the early 2000s. Socker Boppers or something?

I can’t recall exactly. Maybe my siblings and I bopped each other too many times with them after all.

But hey, weirdly specific nostalgia aside, today’s a day for celebrating! It’s been 24 whirls around the sun for me, so here’s a look back at the year that got me here. 🥳

I am trying to spend my beloved birthday day in peace.

Relative peace, at least. The way the last year and a half has gone overall can hardly be called peaceful, but you know what? I’m still here, and today, I’m doing nothing.

Nothing I’m obligated to do, I suppose. After all, I’m thinking of sewing myself another scrub top for work, and I know I’m going to make a milkshake tonight. Who needs birthday cake when you can have a birthday shake? Truly, I am the epitome of the galaxy brain meme when it comes to celebratory desserts. Trust in my wisdom, friends.

Really, though, I’m relaxed. I have a long weekend off work, my favorite snacks are stocked, and I have the flexibility to do anything I want. And since most of the things I want to do involve relative solitude and total self-direction in the familiar comfort of my room, I don’t even need to fill up the gas tank of the car!

It’s the lazy birthday celebration of my dreams, and the only thing that could make it better is one of those IKEA shark plushies. At the moment, I have no idea what my family got me, though they’ve been teasing me about how much I’ll like my gifts. I’ll find out after dinner, and I can only dream that my beloved large shark friend will join my plush collection.

It occurs to me, though, it’ll need a name to sit with the glorious ranks of William Sharkspeare, Mozshark, and Napoleon Bonashark… 🤔

 

I can’t help but think about the last year, though.

Yes, I’m looking forward to 24! I’m finally working in a job that brings me joy, even if it doesn’t bring home the best of dough, and my mental health is at a better place than it’s ever been. It feels incredible to be able to say these things and know they’re true!

But it’s also been a tough road as well. Another year of pandemic, coupled with losing one of my beloved bunnies followed shortly after by my grandmother. Not to mention I glanced at my goals from last year’s birthday day post, only to discover I’ve accomplished…three of them at most. 😬 I suppose I knew then that I was probably biting off more than I can chew, but it stings a little to see that that feeling was right.

 

Despite everything, though, we’re celebrating on this fine birthday day.

That’s right. Celebrating. And though I won’t tempt myself with a giant list of goals this year, I will share some of the best moments I’ve had. 24 of them, to be precise, one for each year. Because at the end of the day, I’m here, and it’s not all bad. In fact, it might even be good! And I don’t just mean for the immediate future, like dinner tonight. I mean for the whole future. There’s still something bright ahead, and at some point, I’m going to see it.

Right after I finish looking back at some of the things that have warmed my heart over the last year. 💛

1. I left my old job for a new one, complete with friendly office cat!
2. I learned how to make my own scrubs, so I can have the brightest, silliest patterns!
3. Somehow, I taught myself how to sew a plushie for the first time, and my brother loved it so much!
4. One of my bunnies, the lovely and oh so cranky Moo, officially turned 10 this summer!
5. After two years, I finally saw my best friend in person again! 🥺
6. I got an incredible tattoo of a bee on my back (that I’ll hopefully have good photos of one day)! 🐝
7. A dear friend of mine got top surgery at last, and my heart is so full for them!
8. I’ve played a small D&D campaign about a very nervous druid who’s grown so much! 🌱
9. My collection of shiny click-clack math rocks (AKA dice) has grown!
10. I’ve collected so many enamel pins that I need a new display hoop!
11. I started a modified D&D campaign with my sister to fulfill her Pokémon Mystery Dungeon dreams!
12. The yellowjackets living in my ceiling are officially gone! (Yes, I like bees, but hornets? Hornets wake up every day and choose violence. They also eat drywall. They had to go.)
13. Another friend of mine realized we’d met nine years ago. So many years of friendship!
14. Leverage: Redemption aired and gave me everything I could have wanted!
15. I discovered Supergiant Games’ Hades and fell completely in love! ❤️
16. By some miracle, I won multiple book giveaways! There’s always room for more books…
17. I paid off one of my student loans! (Only one, but shhh, one is better than none here for sure.)
18. I’ve made cookies with my grandpa and siblings for the first time in years! 🍪
19. The number of cute puppies I’ve met at work is now officially off the charts, and there will always be more!
20. My best friend’s very shy cat accepted me, and her dog thinks of me as part of his little pack!
21. I got vaccinated against COVID!
22. A new Witchlands book finally came out (and I’m going to read it as soon as I can)!
23. Nintendo officially announced Pokémon Legends: Arceus, fulfilling my open-world Pokémon dreams!
24. Two of my dear friends began querying their novels, and I’m so proud of them for taking that huge step!

 

As you can see, it’s been quite a year!

Truthfully, a lot of these have even happened in the last six months. Still, the point is that there are wonderful things afoot and even better things ahead. I’m glad to be here, glad to have made it another year, and I’m hopeful for the year to come.

And this time, I’m not going to stress myself out with big plans. I have some dreams, sure, some little plans in motion, but sometimes, making lists stresses me out. Instead, I’m just going to do what I can, when I can.

All of that starts tonight, though, with a birthday day milkshake. You can see where my priorities lie.

 

Thank you so much for joining me on my birthday! I try to make it a fun day every year, and it’s always more fun to share it. 💛