So, what are you doing for your birthday?

Birthdays are kind of weird as an adult.

People always ask what I’m going to do for my birthday during the weeks leading up to it. If my birthday is on a weekday, well, surprise, surprise, I’ll be working!

This year, however, my birthday fell on a Saturday.

This meant a birthday race.

“You’re different,” a coworker jokingly said to me when I told her about my trail 5K plans.

Really, I don’t think birthdays are that big of a deal. You’re a year older, so, let’s celebrate! It just seems kind of, well, unnecessary to me. Also, with a birthday at the beginning of June, there is always a good chance it coincides with someone’s graduation or wedding.

During college, I had a part-time job where my work didn’t even know when my birthday! I remember my first year there,  thinking I had a secret from everyone when I worked on my birthday. But, how do you casually drop that it’s your birthday without making anyone “feel bad” for not doing anything for you? I was fine that no one knew.

However, there was one birthday I did do something bigger than usual.

A few months before my birthday, my best friend told me she had requested my birthday off “just in case we do anything.” (She’s a doctor, by the way, so she can’t just randomly take days off).

At first I told her I was working. My birthday was on a Thursday that year!

“Plus, what about the day after? That’s a Friday. You’ll have to work then, right?” I asked her.

“I took that day off too!” she replied. “We should go to Disneyland!”

I thought she was joking. But, the “joke” quickly turned into reality.

I did go into work on my birthday but then we flew out late in the afternoon. We arrived in Anaheim in the evening and just as our shuttle was dropping us off at our hotel, we could see the fireworks show at Disneyland across the street.

Fireworks on my birthday? Even though they weren’t for me, it was kind of magical.

Moral of the story is that you don’t have to make a big deal about doing something extravagant or going on a big trip for your birthday.

But, if you do, consider making it a a getaway to the happiest place on earth — wherever that may be for you!