closer to 30 than 25 - a birthday reflection
on Wednesday, March 10, I hopped out the womb on some legendary ish — divinely aligned for a purpose that was set ahead of me far before I was even a blip in the imagination of my mother & father’s dalliance.
growing up, mostly in my adolescent years, I really didn’t have a lot of positive correlation to my birthday that made it feel worth celebrating. there were never really any big birthday bashes, I’ve never had anyone plan a surprise party for me, I just kind of winged it with little to no planning… being left to the mercies of whatever last-minute shenanigans would come up.
but last year, I celebrated a very unique version of my birthday: one that would mark me getting laid off from the job that brought me to LA due to a mysterious virus that no one really had any answers for.
my last birthday supper (2020)
still, I knew something was in the water: a change, a shift, and something in my spirit was telling me that if I didn’t intentionally plan something for my day, then I would have months of quarantine to regret it. so I did, I got all my homegirls that have played a huge role in my experience in LA together for what we would soon find would be our last brunch in the normal we’ve all known: with restaurants at full capacity, no masks, and the comfort of hoping we could hold on to that.
this year, I couldn’t get last year out of my head. since my birthday falls right around the top of March and still pretty early in the new year, my mental planning usually starts as early as January 30th. and this year, I knew I wanted to have full creative agency over my day — my way.
i think in the past, I was always waiting for someone to take the lead on making my day special. I would always believe that every year would be THE year where I’d magically have a boyfriend who would make the effort to set up my perfect day or out of nowhere, I’d have a fairy-god friend who would know just the thing to do to make that day special. but after college, I parted ways with that fantasy. as I got deeper into my mid-20’s I knew that it was solely up to me to make my day what it was, and this year, I think I finally got it right.
i think this was easily one of the best birthday weeks that I’ve had in all of my 20s. and I mean… like… ever. and it wasn’t because anyone came to my rescue and saved the day, it was because I decided to make every moment a moment that would speak to my heart and the memories that I would want to reflect on.
in just the last 6 days, I was able to have dinners with my set of friends, I rented a car which gave me the freedom to move about my day as I pleased, went on a mini Target shopping spree (haha), had a 00s inspired photoshoot, made my way to the beach for a morning meditation, got my first ticket (lmb0) received tens and tens of the warmest birthday wishes, made new friends, heard love stories, and cried tears of gratitude.
what made this year different from all the other years was that I followed what felt right with me. before I even started my day, God spoke to me on my birthday and said, “Don’t be afraid of what you stumble upon,” and that instantly became my compass. that was the guideline I followed and it was the best advice from above.
i stumbled upon hope, smiles, tipsy laughter, forgiveness, and a calm my heart needed for the year ahead.
it’s funny because as I reflect on this moment, I realized that even although I’ve never had a surprise party, this entire week, in itself has been a surprise because I managed my expectations. i was able to decide what Aley needed to feel celebrated for myself, and everything else that came was a pleasant addition and surprise.
i shared on my IG post that I was turning “2*” omitting my age, and a friend of mine commented that I shouldn’t be “ashamed” of my age and getting older and to be honest, I’m not ashamed at all. i’m grateful to be maturing, I’m grateful for my growth, I’m grateful for my health and to be Corona-free for an entire year, I’m grateful for how far I’ve come and how much I’m loving who I’m becoming (flaws, meltdowns, and all). not sharing my age online is just a decision of mine to keep that part of me private and for the expression of age to be defined through personal growth, and not just a number (but if you know, you know. if not, happy guessing!).
anyway, if you wished me a happy birthday or sent any form of birthday love, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. my love language of words of affirmation was in HIGH activation this week, so i’m still a lil’ high have the serotonin right now!
here’s to more love, more abundance, and more growth in another year. happy birthday to, ya girl!
with love,
ya girl, Aley
〰 before you go: what’s your quarantine birthday memory? and with hopes of the nation reopening soon, what do you look forward to doing this year to celebrate yourself? let me know in the comments, i’d love to hear!
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ig: @yagirlaley | twitter: @yagirlaley