You Get A Birthday! Everyone Gets A Birthday! 

I love the concept of them on others, but not on me, yet. I am the first person to celebrate other people’s birthdays, and boy, this year I have been present in a way for everyone in my spreadsheet list. Yes, I keep people in spreadsheets, and I also have a column for “potential gifts” that keeps on growing. Is it a little creepy? Maybe. Is it effective? Hell yes! But that is not why I am writing about them. Anyway, let me preface this with I love birthdays. I absolutely love gifting people stuff, because stuff is never mine to begin with. And I get a kick from how the giftee’s faces light up, and I kid you not, it never gets old. 

That said, September has been one hell of a very long month! It had an average of two birthdays per week, and on the week of 17th, I had birthdays for five freaking days straight. Back-to-back-to-back! My pocket suffered, but you really cannot put a price on someone’s happiness. I even walked around town with flowers for a delivery! All I will say is I know a lot of children whose parents gave their significant other THAT New Year’s gift. I am also wary of November babies because we know which gift was shared during Valentine’s. So far, September leads the count with EIGHT birthdays, and then June with FOUR, and finally, November ties with March for THREE. The rest are two each, which is manageable. 

Now, it might sound like I am ungrateful, but I am liking this privilege that I have — people trust me enough to tell me their birthdays and allow me to celebrate with them, which is why I never joke when it comes to birthdays. In fact, I don’t joke about four things: Nyx, Money, Birthdays, and my Rastas. And maybe food when I am hungry. I don’t think you can understand how cool birthdays are, so let me try to paint a picture for you. One, someone was actually born on that day! Like one second there was no life, and then there was life! And that life, through that person, has influenced my life in some type of way, so of course, I am going to celebrate their life when they celebrate theirs. Two, birthdays are when someone is most vulnerable. That’s the one day in the year they MUST actively think about their existence, and to have someone let you in during that moment? Mind-blowing stuff! Also, it reminds them that they came into the world naked, so you can’t go any more with vulnerability than literal nakedness. Three, most birthdays are for families and a few select friends, so when I am part of your birthday, I have made it! Granted, we did a whole lot of work to get where you are, but still, we made it! It means we trust each other to be within each other’s presence for points one and two. Four, with adult birthdays, it is very easy to try other substances, and I will not expound on that point. Five, birthdays, in and of themselves as a concept, are just cool. Six, with birthdays, there is often a lot of food and drinks and dancing and games, so that could be four points in one. Eleven, I get to gift people stuff. That actually speaks for itself if I have you in my spreadsheet.

I often try to be intentional with birthdays, and since I have great listening skills, I often take notes on things people say in passing so that when the time comes, I can get it for them without breaking a sweat. For this, I owe it to Nyx for letting me experiment with a lot of stuff with her; moreso when it comes to seeing if what I hear equates to what she wants. It might sound like common sense and an easy thing to do, but it is one of the hardest jobs on the planet. And with all this experience, it is still a work in progress, though now I do it for the love of the game. 

I, on the other hand, absolutely do not like the idea of birthday parties when I am the subject of them. I love it for others, but not for me. I think it is because I like controlling things I can control, and a birthday, by definition, is something no one apart from the mother can ever have control over. Not to say that Nyx has not made strides in that front, but she is working even harder to turn me, and I’ll give her props for that. Also, I really don’t like surprises. The last time I was genuinely surprised was when Nyx [REDACTED].

For all of your past birthdays, happy birthday once again! And for your upcoming ones, happy birthday! 

From Me To You

For the September babies, I gave you all my money, and every cent was worth it. And for the third time, happy birthdaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

I have also been trying to be intentional with showing up for all my friends, so when you see me somewhere, just know I am there for a reason; probably the same one you have.

As always, this is Kimi’s championship, and it is only a matter of time, and also, commiserations to all the Hamilton fans I know.

I have also been reading stories from a new author on Medium: Ebubechi Maduka, and she has some really good stories; and if you are in the mood for a thinker, read The Moment Passes by Obanyi