A Birthday That Was

I celebrated my birthday last week. Yes, I'm a Leo baby.

Without wanting to overstate things, I have to say.. it was one of the nicest birthdays I've ever had.

Nevermind that I still had to work, nevermind that I had to rush 350kms from Singapore to KL for a 'suprise' birthyday party that I secretly already saw coming. Nevermind that the place was so fancy, and the food so expensive my eyes nearly popped out looking at the bill.

I've never been one to make a big deal about my birthday. I have certain in-built shyness about talking about it that I seem to have inherited from my mother. Most years, the only one to ever kick a fuss about it was my other half good enough... or so I tell myself. No matter how selfless and giving we are in our lives, even the best of us crave for acknowledgement and appreciation... and honestly, I'm no different.

When the blindfolds were taken off my eyes, and all those who had gathered yelled 'Surprise!'...
When they played that video clip with messeages from each on of them to me... When they whipped out the guitar and started singing....When they just sat around, chatting and drinking with a smile on their face... I felt...... loved... and celebrated... which felt really really great.. but also kinda weird. I've never actually experienced being 'celebrated' before. I can't shake off the notion that celebrating someone usually happens more after their dead.

But with all my heart, I felt really happy and touched that they'd all gather like that. It's so rare these days to have a group of the people you love most together with you in one room at one moment. We talked and we laughed, we drank and we sang....or at least some of them did.... and I openly told everyone that sometimes, when you cared so much for people, you do end up wandering if they feel the same towards you..... and the fact that they all showed up like this in this manner was answer that they do. We spent the rest of the night explaining the rather complicated way we all ended up being friends with one another... from a friend, to a friend's friend, to a friend's friend's friend... that sort of thing... 

That night, as we drove home, I reached out and held my other half's hand.. She was the one who organized everything...

"Yes dear... what is it?" she asked.

"Nothing....." I answered with a smile and squeezed her hands tighter.

"Tell me dear...." she prodded further.

"Well... only you would do such a thing dear. Only you would bother kicking up such a fuss for me. You know me...if it was just me, I'd just lay low and make sure no one knew..." I said.

"That's why you have ME! So that there IS someone who will fuss over you." she replied.

I just looked at her and smiled even more. That made me glad. She understood me so well.

I thought more about the friends that came. There were a few that were glaringly missing in the line up... but I didn't mind at all... it'd be too much to want EVERYONE there... But something one of them said that stuck with me..

"You friends treat you very well....." one friend said to me. She was a close friend too.. but not quite in the same group as the rest. The fact that she came anyway meant a lot to me. She was also the one who had the nicest things to say about me in the video presentation. 

"I guess I'm lucky... But yeah, they really are a great people.... and so are you." I said to her.

"I hope you had a good time dear..." my other half said to me as we reached the house.

"I did dear... I did..... The best birthday I've ever had." I told her.

And though it may not seem so great from the way I've just wrote it... but to me, it really was.