There was a fabulous gent I worked with once who was even more excited about birthdays than I am.

He told me that he and his wife created something they call “holy week,” which was designated as the week prior to and including the birth-day. (And they were hard core serious about this. There were rules.)

They determined that one day is simply not enough to adequately celebrate one another’s being-ness. It takes a full 7 days. And there are gifts given on each day. Without fail. Every year. 

When he first told me this, I laughed, but he didn't crack a smile. This is a ceremony they honor.

I like gifts. So I borrowed the idea and posed this framework clearly to my family. They didn’t go for it. So the next year, I gifted myself little things once a day, for a week. Talismans for the coming year… it still didn’t ring true…

For the next few years, birthdays never felt quite right. Not because of gifts that I did or did not receive, but because there was no ceremony that felt authentic. 

It became clear I needed to create one. 

The key to my ceremony is the day before.

It’s kind of like the day before I leave for a long trip. I wash the sheets, clean the house, get anything done on my to do list that I don’t want to be there waiting for me when I return. There's a freshness that results, a preparing of the space for something intentional.

To me, the birth day itself is not about gifts, it’s about how do I wish to begin this next year of my life and with whom; how do I wish to nourish my body; how do I orient myself; where do I place my attention; what is my intent moving into the new year, how is this day towards... 

(Of course every day could be this way… birthdays are simply mileposts… points on a journey that mark time and space from a particular beginning point... the only difference is there are sweet treats and candles instead of rest stops!)

always in motion,

fia

P.S. 'clear goals' is another new story Brian just released a day or two ago. Click here if you'd like a print of it for your own...