Photo by Warren Talbot
Or at least it should be on your birthday. Today is mine, and I turn 39 years old. What amazes me about this is that I don’t feel like I ever really age; I just have more experiences. Maybe it is because I don’t have kids and move fairly frequently that there are no real mile markers of growing older.
Except the annual birthday.
Tonight I’ll host my own birthday party. In addition to what you’d expect – food, wine, and cake – there will be a reverse gift exchange.
Instead of buying me birthday gifts, my friends will be “shopping” through my birthday boutique of favorite possessions – 39 of them – and making a donation to our trip fund.
What started out as a brilliant idea to further downsize is starting to make me a little queasy. Yes, I want to streamline my possessions so I can travel full time. But can’t I keep the leather boots? My hat collection? Or that funky cocktail ring?
The answer is no, and I know that. And what better way to let treasured things go than to know they are going to be cared for by a good friend?
So I’ll be sucking it up tonight, enjoying my last birthday in Seattle with people I love, and watching my lucky cowboy hat leave on someone else’s head. It will be a tough night, but a good one.
Hey, maybe I am finally reaching a mile marker of adulthood.
UPDATE: Want to know how it went? Click here.
Related posts:
About Betsy
Happy bday Betsy! Can’t wait to celebrate with you tonight.
Happy Birthday Betsy!
I am AMAZED that you can do this! What a great life lesson. Can’t wait to hear how it goes.
I, too, was amazed you could give away your most valued possessions! And yet, I admire you that you can…it’s a big step. Perhaps it will make it easier to know you can still “visit” those things and maybe even borrow them from your favorite friends that get them, before you leave next October!
Here’s to a most fabulous last year in Seattle!
This is an awesome idea – I love it! Although you may miss some of your things in the next few months, you’ll forget about all of it in a short time. And you’ll have such a good time with your friends distributing your gifts.
Happy Birthday!
Wow, it was such a great party. I’ll write up a post about it for tomorrow, but the short version is that it was well worth the angst I went through prepping for it. My friends are terrific, and it will be much harder to leave them than any item I own.
I am so glad to hear that it went great! It really was such a fabulous idea! Look forward to hearing more!
Hi Betsy,
That was the most inspired, happy birthday party I’ve attended in years. You are lucky to have so many lovely gal pals in your life, and we are all lucky to have treasures from you to keep close as you soon travel around the world for your great adventure.
The boots were made for walkin’ – and that’s just what they’ll do! The cowboy hat – stays with you until we drop you at the airport in October…..and hey, who knows…one day on some sunny afternoon you’ll be cruising through some quaint village and think….I used to have a hat like that – and the hat will turn and a very familiar face will be there to say hello!
Thank you for sharing so much of yourself last night – you gave all of us the best gift last night.
Happy birthday my friend!
Nancy, Debb, Maria, and Karen – it was so much fun celebrating and sharing the day with you guys. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post where I spill the beans on the reverse birthday party (well, not the actual events – that would be scandalous – but the how-to in case anyone else wants to try it)