Two Great Gifts for My Birthday This Year

How is it possible that an entire year has gone by since I turned 37?

Not that I’m complaining, of course, because today is the Day of All Days.

It’s my birthday!

Woo hoo!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love my birthday.

Still.

Yes, despite being 38 — not 40 — and past the age when I should probably stop making a big deal about it, I still love my birthday.

The truth is, it’s hard not to celebrate when there’s so much to be happy about.

And this year, I am in a particularly good mood on my birthday. That’s because I’ve received two great gifts recently.

The Gift of Time

At the end of March, after more than three years, I left my job. (Technically, I was still an employee through the end of April, but I stopped working on March 30.)

That means I’ve had lots of free time since then — to look for a new job, yes, but also to rest up, take it easy, and enjoy.

And that’s exactly what I’ve done.

For example … I spent a week in Florida, and I’ve spent a bit of time in New York.

I’ve gone to bed late, and I’ve slept in.

I went to the Open House at Fenway Park, saw three concerts, and enjoyed Marathon Monday. I’ve been to afternoon movie screenings, revisited beloved lunch spots that I hadn’t been to in years, and I’ve gone up to Portsmouth, N.H., without having to rush home for work the next day.

I’ve taken care of errands in the middle of the day (it’s more exciting than you realize).

I’ve gone walking and/or running around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir on a regular basis.

I’ve done random things like riding the T round-trip for no reason (I was too late for a movie screening one day and decided to just go back home), and driving in to the North End just so I could pick up a dozen cupcakes before a Groupon expired. (Really.)

I’ve sat on my deck and read while soaking up the nice afternoon weather.

And basically, I’ve cleared my head, so that when I do get a new job (hopefully soon), I’ll be in a good frame of mind and will be ready and excited to get back to work.

I’m not going to lie: It’s been really fun.

It’s not often you get the chance to take a few months off and not work. Believe me, I’m doing what I can to find a new job, but in the meantime, I’m really enjoying not working.

The Gift of Friendship

And all this free time has been a big reason why I got a second gift.

The extra time on my hands has freed me up to hang out with friends over lunch, dinner, drinks, or all three.

I’m lucky that at many of those meetups, I had my lunch, dinner, or drinks paid for — a nice, albeit unnecessary, gesture. Suffice it to say, when I get a new job, I owe a bunch of people meals and drinks. (Happy to oblige.)

But I’ve also had a ton of people lend me their support, encouragement, networking contacts, endorsements, job leads, job opportunities, invitations to events, and more.

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of this.

It just goes to show you how important it is to have a good network, and to be a good, likeable person.

I’m tremendously lucky to have the friends I do.

Happy Birthday, Indeed

So that’s why today, on my 38th birthday, I’m a very happy person.

I’m in a very good place mentally, and I’ve still got my positive, optimistic, not-worried attitude.

No wonder I’m definitely going to celebrate this year. I’ve got dinner plans, lunch plans, cupcake-eating plans, and more.

It’s gonna be a good birthday this year, and a great summer.

Happy day to me!

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