Why I celebrate "Birthmonth"

It's June.

Are you excited???

Maybe not lol

Well I am. If you are my friend in real life or on Instagram or you have had the misfortune of being around me at all in June, you know that it is my Birthmonth. 

You read that right. Birth MONTH.

Some people have been confused lately as to what that means and why I would celebrate that. Am I a brat? Do I demand lots of gifts and attention?? Not really...ok maybe a little....let me explain....

I don't have an explanation for why I love my birthday so much. I think maybe because it is in June. For a girl growing up in cold, snowy Ohio, June signaled not only the end of school, but also the end of snow and cold. The grass gets green, the flowers bloom, and it's finally warm enough to be outside. June to me is a symbol of all things becoming fresh. Finishing an old year and starting a new one.

Growing up, my parents always allowed me to have a birthday party/end of the year party. It was a time to get my friends together for one last fling before we were apart for the summer (No cell phones, Facebook, or email then to keep us together!). Each year it got a little bigger and more and more people came and it stopped being about my birthday for me and became a time to celebrate all the great people I had in my life. 

Fast forward a few years to me in my thirties. (Gasp! I know I don't look that old!) I was struggling each time a birthday hit. Don't get me wrong, I still love my birthday, but each one was a little reminder of how I was getting older and of all the things that I haven't done/accomplished/acquired. Around this time, I noticed my sweet friend Michael was celebrating the entire month of September as his "birthmonth". I haven't asked him his reasons for doing this, but I noticed that each day he was posting something on Facebook about the great thing that he did or tried each day of his birthmonth. I decided I needed that!! And the next June that rolled around, I started it.

I decided then that it was just for fun, but it was hard at first to come up with something everyday, especially towards the end of the month. No one wanted to take me to lunch or buy me flowers anymore. :( So then I started searching for things to celebrate. I didn't have words to describe what I was doing until this year when I read the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voscamp. In the book, she describes naming and noticing the gifts that we already have not the gifts we want. That's what I had been doing with birthmonth! I started a gratitude journal like she suggested, but decided that for birthmonth, I would make a concerted effort to share with my friends/family in public forums the things that I am thankful for each day of my birthmonth. What a better time than the month I was given life?? :)

Don't get me wrong, I still accept gifts, flowers, lunches, and other celebrations. But I am also choosing to find the things I already have in each day to celebrate. Things like: laughter with my kids, dinner made for me by Mr. Thrifty, spending quality time with my parents, working with people I truly love, having amazing friends, a sweet dog who loves to snuggle, living near so many beautiful beaches, and the list goes on.

What are you celebrating!? Maybe a birthmonth is too much for you. It's not easy lol but I encourage you to find a way to look for the things around you to celebrate every day.:)

peace, love, cute shoes, and BIRTHMONTH!!!!!

~chrissy :)

Comments

  1. You and Michael always did drink the same crazy juice.

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  2. Some people are born with more happy in them. Some people need a little extra happy to get them through the day. I celebrate the birthmonth to make enough happy for everyone and bring a lottle joy to those who don't have enough :)

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