Tuesday, October 23, 2012

A Happy Birthday List


I love to celebrate other people's birthdays (not my own, though) and usually try to give them a handmade card or unique gift.  But, since I'm not the best at time management, the date often sneaks up on me and I don't have anything on hand. 

That's what happened last week when one of my best friends had a birthday.  She is so special to me so I knew I wanted to do something for her.  That morning I got up a few minutes early and wrote her an email, just an email.  She turned 41 (a youngster!) so I made a list of 41 reasons why she deserves to be celebrated.  At first it seemed like a daunting task to come up with so many items but it really didn't take much time. I wrote about her character ("You are always full of energy and enthusiasm."), about our past together ("You were my student teacher!" and "You were with me when my nephews were born and on 9/11."), and some of the reasons she means so much to me ("You stuck with me during a very big change in my life and continued to support me.")  Then I sent it off.  She let me know later in the day how much she loved reading my birthday email that made her both laugh and cry. 

It was easy.  It was immediate.  It made us both feel good.  The next time you want to honor someone on their birthday, I suggest you make them a special list.

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