Happy birthday Kaitlyn. I hope you find a simple and lovely way to mark the day. Birthdays tend to be the opposite for me.... all the feels! I seem to revisit birth, death and my whole life trajectory 🙃 Thank goodness they're only once a year!!
haha, you just pack all the wonderings of the universe into one day. Thank you for the birthday wishes. I’m glad it’s over and now I can cruise into the next year of wandering :)
I missed this post during back to school/kid starting kindergarten hell, but thank you for writing this on your birthday! I love that line from Funny Story.
My birthday feels weird now, at one time I was very excited by birthdays but I haven’t felt that way since I was about 16- when we did turn 16, my sister and I saw Love Actually with our mom, and my 15th birthday in 9th grade is the last time I remember hosting a party. We had an Olive Garden dinner followed by watching Oceans 11 with 10 friends. as a twin I always shared my birthday and I enjoy spending time with my family on my birthday because it’s always around Thanksgiving- we were born on Thanksgiving at 12:14 and 12:45 pm in 1987. My mom had to get a C-section for my sister after my vaginal birth and I always feel sorry for her on my birthday— she was also on hospital bed rest for about 3 weeks prior to our birth with preeclampsia but thankfully we made it to 35.5 weeks and had no NICU time. We were both 5 lbs.
We turn 37 this year and the weekend before my birthday I plan to go to tea at a local hotel with my mom and sister- we did this for my mom’s birthday 2 years ago and it’s lovely near the holiday season to see all their decorations. My anniversary trip to Hawaii is within a couple weeks of my birthday so I expect my husband and I will go on a typical dinner date on the day- it’s 2 days before Thanksgiving this year. I have requested a mini cheesecake, my husband has made me cheesecakes for years on my birthday and I go back and forth on whether I want to share a big one or have my own personalized one!
I love hearing about your birthday traditions throughout the year. Honestly writing this piece and letting it just live for a second actually helped me get a better sense of what I may want in the future. I actually had ideas, instead of just malaise and indifference. And your traditions just jostled loose a few more things I may want. 🙏🏼
This Olive Garden + Oceans combo sounds so amazing to me—and the tea with your mom and sister around the holidays sounds so lovely.
Happy Belated Birthday Kaitlyn. I am quite late in commenting on this post but it is reading catch up day for me. :) I have similar feelings every birthday. I don't necessarily want to plan anything but I want to do something nice and quiet and feel somewhat celebrated. However, I also don't like being the center of attention. It's tricky. I just try to be grateful for another year. :)
Oooooh Kaitlyn now I’m dying to know your whole birth chart! I am a quintessential Leo who loves her birthday and basks in the glow from being the center of attention. But I’m also an Aquarius moon so I have a lot of introvert tendencies and a perpetual feeling of "no one gets me." I bought myself an astrology reading for my birthday (this will be my fourth). Similar to your Costar horoscope (which I love by the way), I don’t think of astrology as a "Magic 8 ball" or miracle cure but I find it so fascinating to learn more about myself through this lens. All that to say, happy birthday. I hope you can allow yourself to feel just the teensiest bit celebrated.
Haha I know this post screams, “what are the elements that contribute to this level of apathy and anxiety at the same time.” 😂😂 I think that may be something I do this year for myself, a full reading.
Happy birthday, Kaitlyn! I love birthdays — my own and others'. It feels like my personal new year, so I love spending the days leading up to it/on the day of doing the same sort of reflection exercises people tend to do in late December/January (also, my birthday is in December, so this reflection applies to both my personal and collective new year!).
I love hearing that you lean into the energy of a December birthday. I definitely feel that energy around that time. It was interesting to notice I woke up the day after my birthday with more of that buzz.
This is so refreshing! In a world that often pressures us to go all-out for birthdays, it's nice to hear someone say it's okay to have a low-key celebration (or no celebration at all). I'm stealing your line about being a "cat" rather than a "lion" this year. Thanks for the permission to just be on my birthday, without all the fuss.
Happy birthday! There is so much pressure to know what one wants to do with their birthday, last year I told my partner, I don’t care, and made him make the plans and that was his gift to me...to not have to know what to do.
Thank you! This is a genius idea for me to remember. There is a couple I know of where they make a menu of options and the birthday person chooses (casual or fancy meal? movie, a concert, or a picnic?) I think I need to harness that deferring for next time.
Wait I love that idea! That’s also a great idea for dates and stuff too. I’m pretty bad at handling my partners birthday and he is terrible about making decisions, so I will be referring back to this.
So glad you are. 😊 Whether you ended up feeling anything on your day or just the day itself, perhaps its up to the other people in your life to feel for you on your birthday, to reach out to you, to celebrate on your behalf, to be "so glad you are" so you can be whatever you are with no expectation or requirement. After all, wouldn't that the most beautiful gift of all? A day to just be.
But I also dislike birthdays. I remember being a kid and telling my mom that it felt weird to celebrate the fact that I was born; I hadn't done anything to merit a party or presents. She looked at me like I was insane and said: "That's the whole point."
Thank you!! It’s clear some of us just have complex feelings about it. So far Archie is AMPED for his bday. He brings it up once a week regardless how close we are to the actual day.
I appreciate your willingness to share despite your feelings surrounding your birthday. I do find it to be a great feat given all the threats in the world externally and threats within us internally that we make it to another birthday. I absolutely love birthdays and love having an excuse to love on people extra for their birthdays. If someone asks what’s my fav holiday I always say my birthday first. I’m sad when it’s not celebrated so I do try to plan something special months in advance. A trip or a special meal or a spa experience. Something I feel like I don’t have an excuse to do any other day. I’m currently debating on going to CHI to eat a vegan deep dish pizza or simply ordering one to be shipped to me lolol happy birthday to one of my fave writers!
Thank you so much! I’m not surprised to hear you have a healthy exchange with birthdays. It seems so aligned with your essence to be able to revel in it, play within it. I'm pulling for the vegan deep dish for you <3
Happy birthday to you! I hope your day is quiet and just as you wish. Cheers to a wonderful year of growth and doing exactly as your co star ⭐️ letter suggests: rolling around in your dreams!
Ooooof, two Leo women in the same family sharing a birthday—that's tough. And I will say, the stereotypes are often so wrong (especially for the women of the lion variety). There's part of us that hate to be in the spotlight, it can feel wrong to take up space (because when have women ever been encouraged by society to stoke their fire of desire and inner light?) but there's a part of us that just wants to be seen—truly seen for who we are, and often Leo's are deeply misunderstood.
I feel your words deeply. It's a weird day, and I'm glad to hear you took the day and spent it in a way that's fulfilling to YOU! That's all that matters in the end.
First, Happy Birthday. I’m a Libra and an introvert and I HATE my birthday. Probably need quite a few sessions to nail down why, but they’ve always been disappointing (and, no, I know better than to have any expectations). I just (try to) treat it as any other day.
I am so very happy you were born and that we get to know such a beautiful soul. I hope you spent your day doing exactly what you wanted, whatever that happened to be. 💖
I absolutely LOVE ifs! No Bad Parts is now one of my favorite books ever. The minute you start interacting with all your inner children, everything begins to change. Happy birthday, I hope this year brings infinite goodness into your life!
Happy birthday Kaitlyn. I hope you find a simple and lovely way to mark the day. Birthdays tend to be the opposite for me.... all the feels! I seem to revisit birth, death and my whole life trajectory 🙃 Thank goodness they're only once a year!!
haha, you just pack all the wonderings of the universe into one day. Thank you for the birthday wishes. I’m glad it’s over and now I can cruise into the next year of wandering :)
I missed this post during back to school/kid starting kindergarten hell, but thank you for writing this on your birthday! I love that line from Funny Story.
My birthday feels weird now, at one time I was very excited by birthdays but I haven’t felt that way since I was about 16- when we did turn 16, my sister and I saw Love Actually with our mom, and my 15th birthday in 9th grade is the last time I remember hosting a party. We had an Olive Garden dinner followed by watching Oceans 11 with 10 friends. as a twin I always shared my birthday and I enjoy spending time with my family on my birthday because it’s always around Thanksgiving- we were born on Thanksgiving at 12:14 and 12:45 pm in 1987. My mom had to get a C-section for my sister after my vaginal birth and I always feel sorry for her on my birthday— she was also on hospital bed rest for about 3 weeks prior to our birth with preeclampsia but thankfully we made it to 35.5 weeks and had no NICU time. We were both 5 lbs.
We turn 37 this year and the weekend before my birthday I plan to go to tea at a local hotel with my mom and sister- we did this for my mom’s birthday 2 years ago and it’s lovely near the holiday season to see all their decorations. My anniversary trip to Hawaii is within a couple weeks of my birthday so I expect my husband and I will go on a typical dinner date on the day- it’s 2 days before Thanksgiving this year. I have requested a mini cheesecake, my husband has made me cheesecakes for years on my birthday and I go back and forth on whether I want to share a big one or have my own personalized one!
I love hearing about your birthday traditions throughout the year. Honestly writing this piece and letting it just live for a second actually helped me get a better sense of what I may want in the future. I actually had ideas, instead of just malaise and indifference. And your traditions just jostled loose a few more things I may want. 🙏🏼
This Olive Garden + Oceans combo sounds so amazing to me—and the tea with your mom and sister around the holidays sounds so lovely.
Happy Belated Birthday Kaitlyn. I am quite late in commenting on this post but it is reading catch up day for me. :) I have similar feelings every birthday. I don't necessarily want to plan anything but I want to do something nice and quiet and feel somewhat celebrated. However, I also don't like being the center of attention. It's tricky. I just try to be grateful for another year. :)
Thank you, Sonya!! I love the way you described that. Quiet and special. 🥰
Oooooh Kaitlyn now I’m dying to know your whole birth chart! I am a quintessential Leo who loves her birthday and basks in the glow from being the center of attention. But I’m also an Aquarius moon so I have a lot of introvert tendencies and a perpetual feeling of "no one gets me." I bought myself an astrology reading for my birthday (this will be my fourth). Similar to your Costar horoscope (which I love by the way), I don’t think of astrology as a "Magic 8 ball" or miracle cure but I find it so fascinating to learn more about myself through this lens. All that to say, happy birthday. I hope you can allow yourself to feel just the teensiest bit celebrated.
Haha I know this post screams, “what are the elements that contribute to this level of apathy and anxiety at the same time.” 😂😂 I think that may be something I do this year for myself, a full reading.
Happy birthday, Kaitlyn! I love birthdays — my own and others'. It feels like my personal new year, so I love spending the days leading up to it/on the day of doing the same sort of reflection exercises people tend to do in late December/January (also, my birthday is in December, so this reflection applies to both my personal and collective new year!).
I love hearing that you lean into the energy of a December birthday. I definitely feel that energy around that time. It was interesting to notice I woke up the day after my birthday with more of that buzz.
This is so refreshing! In a world that often pressures us to go all-out for birthdays, it's nice to hear someone say it's okay to have a low-key celebration (or no celebration at all). I'm stealing your line about being a "cat" rather than a "lion" this year. Thanks for the permission to just be on my birthday, without all the fuss.
Happy birthday 🎉
haha, yes please use! Are you a Leo bday, too?
Happy birthday! There is so much pressure to know what one wants to do with their birthday, last year I told my partner, I don’t care, and made him make the plans and that was his gift to me...to not have to know what to do.
Thank you! This is a genius idea for me to remember. There is a couple I know of where they make a menu of options and the birthday person chooses (casual or fancy meal? movie, a concert, or a picnic?) I think I need to harness that deferring for next time.
Wait I love that idea! That’s also a great idea for dates and stuff too. I’m pretty bad at handling my partners birthday and he is terrible about making decisions, so I will be referring back to this.
Yes!! I hope you do use it and it offers a bit of relief from all the pressure.
So glad you are. 😊 Whether you ended up feeling anything on your day or just the day itself, perhaps its up to the other people in your life to feel for you on your birthday, to reach out to you, to celebrate on your behalf, to be "so glad you are" so you can be whatever you are with no expectation or requirement. After all, wouldn't that the most beautiful gift of all? A day to just be.
Yes, a day to just be, however we are. I love that <3 Thank you for sharing that sentiment.
Happy belated birthday!!
But I also dislike birthdays. I remember being a kid and telling my mom that it felt weird to celebrate the fact that I was born; I hadn't done anything to merit a party or presents. She looked at me like I was insane and said: "That's the whole point."
Thank you!! It’s clear some of us just have complex feelings about it. So far Archie is AMPED for his bday. He brings it up once a week regardless how close we are to the actual day.
I appreciate your willingness to share despite your feelings surrounding your birthday. I do find it to be a great feat given all the threats in the world externally and threats within us internally that we make it to another birthday. I absolutely love birthdays and love having an excuse to love on people extra for their birthdays. If someone asks what’s my fav holiday I always say my birthday first. I’m sad when it’s not celebrated so I do try to plan something special months in advance. A trip or a special meal or a spa experience. Something I feel like I don’t have an excuse to do any other day. I’m currently debating on going to CHI to eat a vegan deep dish pizza or simply ordering one to be shipped to me lolol happy birthday to one of my fave writers!
Thank you so much! I’m not surprised to hear you have a healthy exchange with birthdays. It seems so aligned with your essence to be able to revel in it, play within it. I'm pulling for the vegan deep dish for you <3
The one thing I love about my birthday, is the presents. Same as christmas 🤣 I get very disapointed if I dont get presents.
honestly, love this for you. gift receiving is truly a love language and how some of us feel most seen and cherished.
Happy birthday to you! I hope your day is quiet and just as you wish. Cheers to a wonderful year of growth and doing exactly as your co star ⭐️ letter suggests: rolling around in your dreams!
Thank you, Lindsey!! It was a quiet and kind of groggy day, but I woke up the day after very ready to roll around in my dreams :)
Ooooof, two Leo women in the same family sharing a birthday—that's tough. And I will say, the stereotypes are often so wrong (especially for the women of the lion variety). There's part of us that hate to be in the spotlight, it can feel wrong to take up space (because when have women ever been encouraged by society to stoke their fire of desire and inner light?) but there's a part of us that just wants to be seen—truly seen for who we are, and often Leo's are deeply misunderstood.
I feel your words deeply. It's a weird day, and I'm glad to hear you took the day and spent it in a way that's fulfilling to YOU! That's all that matters in the end.
Happy birthday, Kaitlyn. ❤️🔥🫶
hahah, yes, my father would agree it was a lot of a certain type of energy under one roof.
I feel that description of it wayyyyyy more. That feels right on to me.
First, Happy Birthday. I’m a Libra and an introvert and I HATE my birthday. Probably need quite a few sessions to nail down why, but they’ve always been disappointing (and, no, I know better than to have any expectations). I just (try to) treat it as any other day.
I hear that!
I love a Libra—both my son and husband are Libras. <3 You’re in good company as far as I’m concerned.
I am so very happy you were born and that we get to know such a beautiful soul. I hope you spent your day doing exactly what you wanted, whatever that happened to be. 💖
You’re the sweetest and I appreciate you so much.
I absolutely LOVE ifs! No Bad Parts is now one of my favorite books ever. The minute you start interacting with all your inner children, everything begins to change. Happy birthday, I hope this year brings infinite goodness into your life!
Isn’t it the best? Literally life-changing for me. So glad you’ve come across it too!