26 Turning 9

It feels weird to write a post about your birthday, a bit self-centered, but I’ll live with it. I don’t want to pressure you into wishing me a happy birthday and sending me cake, although the cake would be appreciated. But it’s that time of the month. No, not that time. The “Let’s Get Personal” time.

So, according to my ID I’m turning 26. According to my mother, I’m turning 6, again and forever. According to me, I’m turning into an even more cynical and bitter version of myself.

I did not always hate my birthday. I had the best of times when I moved into my first apartment and all my family thought it would be so cool to offer me furniture and stuff to make that place my home instead of books or make up. I thank them for that, because the place would have been empty otherwise. I had an awesome night at the pub for my 23rd birthday. I am so glad I don’t recall everything that happened that night. I had a crazy birthday night in Japan, trying to remember everyone’s name and taking the subway a little drunk at midnight (Am I the only one who can get drunk with only 4 cans of something containing a ludicrous 3% of alcohol in it?! I miss those cans.)

But generally speaking, I’m not a fan of my birthday. Blame it on family members and bad luck. More recently, blame it on a crazy mental health and bad luck. But most of all, blame it on that stupid comparison to others and what they have achieved at the same age, or worse, younger. I know I should not because it’ll give me wrinkles before my time.

So there will be disappointment, and maybe even a few tears. Yes, I’m emotional so let’s take bets: happy tears or sad tears?
But I was inspired by Jenny @ Jenny In Wonderland, whose birthday was earlier this month (Happy birthday again!). Like her, I ponder about all the things I haven’t done yet and I am not the shiniest person to be with on my special day. But that does not mean I can’t celebrate my victories, big or small. I can keep comparing, or I can remember all the things I survived, like my first white hair and too many dentist appointments.

So while I am stuffing my face with lemon cake (special thanks to Claire for the recipe) and having a Suits marathon, you can discover 26 things I have achieved, been, seen or experienced.

#1 Lived on my own

#2 Went skying

#3 Raised my baby dog to be the sweetest and most adorable cutie ever

#4 Traveled to Spain and Portugal

#5 Went on many yoga workouts (No, I won’t post pictures, they’re embarrassing)

#6 Overcome my dentist phobia

#7 Learned to drive

(Because there’s no birthday without DT)

#8 Never gave up on my dream

#9 Kicked agoraphobia’s ass once already

#10 Shared a bathroom with no shower cubicle with 30 other girls  (for a prude like me, it’s a miracle I did it)

#11 Went to my teenage years favorite band’s concert

#12 Bought my first car alone

#13 Put together every piece of furniture in the house

#14 Became a pub regular (not an alcoholic!)

#15 Went from a good student to a studying-machine to get into Ritsumeikan University

#16 Forgave

#17 Survived school

#18 Paid for university and provided for myself thanks to student jobs

#19 Rescued and adopted a deaf dog

#20 Found a friend for life

#21 Lived alone in Japan

(Yes it is a terrible picture and I have a thousand others with amazingly mind-blowing landscapes but look, a bookstore!! And because we are in Japan, it’s open from 10 to 25. Yep, 25. Weirdly I never saw that hour when I was there)

#22 Went to the movies and ate way too much pop corn

#23 Became a tutor

#24 Demonstrated for our rights and against laws and projects (Once a French, always a French)

#25 Won a paintball game

#26 Fought like hell for my mother, because it’s always been us against the world

If you made it this far, thank you so much for losing 4 minutes and 37 seconds of your day, here’s a hug.

This is the end of the self-centered and useless post of the day! Next week will be all sun and fun with a tag! I just wanted it to be a reminder that we all compare ourselves to others sometimes, that small things matter, and that every road is different.

Do you like birthdays or do you hide in your room and turn off the phone until it is over?