Birthdays as National Holidays?

I had to chuckle when Buddy's sister Mary on Cake Boss declared her birthday a national holiday, probably because I can relate. Sure, Martin Luther King gets his day every January, but as an only child, so do I...

tomorrow!

Sometimes I even get treated to a birthday-week or a birthday-month. But for several reasons, 2009 felt like a birthday-year.
 

January 2009 - I enjoyed a cupcake & free Disney admission

in my t-shirt that said "I turned 35 at Disney World!"

Forgive me for repeating myself (I am the Birthday Girl, by the way,) but I got to open many "presents" this past year:

• New friends
• A new church
• A new body (thanks to weight loss)
• New activities (exercise, running, Bunco, my vegetable garden)
• A Kindergartener (and my new schedule)
• Mom's recovery from brain surgery

As I turn 36 and cross over that hump towards 40, I can appreciate why people brag they are the most fulfilled and in the best shape of their lives as they get older. I've been given peace with the past, an appreciation for the present & hope for the future.

There's no need to declare my birthday a national holiday. Life itself is gift enough.

What do you plan to celebrate on your next birthday? Post your comment here.

Cake image courtesy of clker.com.