Post 142-Ritual

Solitude is a good thing as is creating simple rituals. One of my favorite is the observation of my b-day. I do not look to my friends to make is special, it really is a day that is only special to me. Given my tragic family history, I realized this year that is better that I accept the occasion for what it is, face it myself and create my own ritual.

I admit at first I was supposed to go out to eat with some neighbor friends but they could not make it at the last minute and given that all my friends where out of town at the same time (freakish occurrence) I faced the music and celebrated with myself. After work I went over to the Merz's Appothocary in Field's, um, Macy's, and picked up some rose scented bath beads. Later in the evening after getting over a little I feel sorry for myself depression, I got off my ass and decided I should buy my own birthday cake like I did last year and went over to Whole Foods to pick one out.



I was lucky that they had my favorite little vanilla cake still available in the bakery late in the evening, so with that I splurged and bought a rose scented soy candle candle (I love the rose scent, it's perfect when your melancholy). After getting the cake and candle I realized I was hungry and should probably eat dinner. I like to play these little mind games with myself, and I said if I drive by my favorite restaurant and can find meter parking then it's meant to be that I eat there, and it was! How lucky was I to find an empty meter right in front of my most favorite restaurant in Chicago on a Friday night on the corner of Halsted and Armitage, my luck was changing and my evening was getting better. Even better was that the pasta place had for their special Roasted Chicken Ravioli in a Gorgonzola pink sauce, absolute yumminess, it really made my evening.

Afterward I went home, had a nice hot bath (I forgot how good they are and wow, bath beads make your skin feel so soft!), put on my favorite nightgown and robe, lit my candle, had a slice of cake and a tumbler of Bailey's, popped in Pride and Prejudice and knitted on the Rusted Root before falling to sleep.



It turned out a nice evening after all and I am very happy to celebrate this stupid day by myself. Now, should any friends reading this wish to celebrate it belatedly, I would have no problem accept felicitations and gifts in that regard. :)

P.S. My sister Kim's gift card to Lush was used to buy henna hair dye, also part of the new ritual, an effort to disguise my age. And grandma's gift certificate online to Barnes and Nobel was returned (I refuse to buy a book from them online when I can get it cheaper at Amazon, no, seriously, the three knitting books I was going to buy were 20 bucks cheaper on amazon.com, I swear. Grandma was more than happy that I returned it and complimented me for not wanting to waste the money) So now I have a check from her and she insists I use in on the Sea Socks cruise and buy myself something special.

Oh, also, I got several birthday wishes from people on Ravelry and noticed that they put a little cake icon on your ravetar.