My Birthday Wish From a Decade Ago Finally Came True
Learning to give and receive gifts
Birthdays, to me, are special days that warrant celebration and recognition. Although that wasn’t the cultural or social capital in my household, I took it upon myself to plan and celebrate my birthdays starting with my 13th birthday.
At a very early age, I learned that I was responsible for my own happiness.
If I wanted something, I had a strong sense of agency and independence to go get it.
With age, I have also realized that I value spending time with people and experiences over receiving material gifts.
I am really good at buying myself things I like and, most importantly, things I need or want.
I made it very clear to my children and then-husband not to buy me expensive gifts, instead that I would love doing things together. The small pleasures in life of going on a picnic, going for a walk in the woods with the dog, going out to dinner, going on a trip, etc. You get the drift.
With not much money in hand, my children got the message, but not their father. Sadly, the gifts kept coming, incrementally getting more expensive each year.
