When you’re under quarantine, you celebrate the hell outta the small stuff.
I turned 42 yesterday, and normally I wouldn’t even care. But life stinks right now and it’s never been more apparent to me that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. So, we had a “party,” complete with Disney princess décor left over from my daughter’s 4th birthday a few years ago. I jokingly told my husband that I am The Queen but that I would settle for princess-themed banner, plates, and napkins this time around. LMAO!! (Don’t worry, he’s used to my jokes, which are not actually jokes but in fact are my reality, LOL.)
Let me tell you, I had such a beautiful, relaxing day. One of the best birthdays in recent memory. It was simple, special, quiet—or at least as quiet as two kids will allow. Many family and friends reached out with special birthday wishes—it’s so nice to be remembered! One close friend even showed up at my house for a surprise drive-by. She and her son stayed in her car trumpeting party kazoos, waving a “Happy Birthday” napkin and a blue balloon, and blasting Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up.” I stood on my front stoop laughing and loving every minute of it. It was downright amazing and thoughtful, and it totally made my day! 😊 If only I could have thanked her with a hug … Then I sat outside on what was a gorgeous sunny day watching my kids run barefoot in the grass. Priorities. I loved hearing them giggle as the grass tickled their cute little feet. Then it was off to play in the mud again!
The time flew by and before I knew it, my husband was “home” from work and my family sat down to dinner. My husband grilled up some strip steak, I roasted cauliflower, and we toasted life with a yummy, fruity cosmo. It was heavenly, the perfect birthday dinner!! Then we went outside for a walk—the weather was too beautiful to pass up. I love strolling with my family and it takes on even greater significance now. When you’re stuck inside day after day after day, sometimes you get to a point where going outside feels almost … foreign. Or maybe that’s just me, I don’t know. Being out there last night, though, felt so freeing and refreshing and invigorating. Those are the times I forget we’re under quarantine. My son rode his red tricycle and my daughter walked and talked with mommy and daddy. It was just idle chit-chat, but we were together. We were holding hands. We were happy. That’s what life is all about. Well, that and cake, of course.
Because the best part of the night was still to come (LOL)! All that exercise worked up a big appetite for … wait for it … wait for it … homemade banana cake with cream cheese frosting. (Given my recent conservation efforts, I froze half of the banana cake I made for my husband’s birthday two weeks ago and repurposed it as my own cake! I know, I’m a genius.) My 4-year-old son has asked for this banana cake every day for the past few weeks (insert head-banging-against-a-wall emoji here!). When I told him that’s what we were having last night, he told me he wanted a HUGE piece, but with “no frosting mom,” LOL. How someone doesn’t like cream cheese frosting is beyond me. I could devour an entire tub of the stuff. Mmmmmmmm, banana cake with cream cheese frosting. I waited all day for that cake, and it was worth every torturous minute. You couldn’t even tell it had been in the freezer—it tasted like I had just pulled it from the oven! Scrumdiddlyumptious!!
Anyhoo, we spent the rest of our evening chilling on the deck, just talking, laughing, making all kinds of merry. It honestly doesn’t get any better than that. It’s been such a long year already and we’re only in April. We all deserve some joy and some tender loving care during these never-ending weeks of solitude. And forget about having a reason. The reason is today. The reason is hope for another tomorrow. We should all be celebrating life, health, and happiness—and many, many more years of all three—any chance we get.
I started this post talking about celebrating the small stuff. But yesterday wasn’t small at all. It was everything.