Regular readers of this blog might think I only love birthdays because I am a greedy attention hound who loves being the center of attention.

While that characterization may be true, that’s not the only reason I love birthdays. Birthdays are also a day when we treat ourselves well — whether or not we have the attention or participation of others.

Consider my elderly neighbor who has a wide range of garden flags rotated throughout the year. She lives alone, but she puts up a Happy Birthday flag each year to announce her own birthday!

She’s rarely seen out of her house, so it’s not as if she’s trying to elicit a neighborhood outpouring of celebratory greetings. She’s doing this for herself – to smile and celebrate every time she pulls into her own driveway.

Birthdays are a day we all treat ourselves a little better. Maybe we allow ourselves to sleep in. Or we get a massage. Or we treat ourselves to that relaxed chai with a book. Or we see a movie we’ve wanted to see (even alone in the middle of the day). Or we schedule a few less conference calls and go enjoy a yoga class.

Photo credit: Silvia Sala / Source / CC BY-NC-ND

Self care is one of the truly great things about birthdays. Now if we could only get in the habit of doing it more often throughout the year.