Happy Birthday to Us!

I don’t have to tell you that the past year and a half has been absolutely nuts. For the most part, we’ve been adapting as best we can. We’ve been very fortunate in many ways, and for that I’m grateful. While sometimes I’ve been glad that my weekends weren’t filled up to the brim like they always used to be, it was tough not to be able to see family.

For the first time since Christmas 2019, my whole immediate family on my mom’s side was able to get together recently! My grandma, my parents, my siblings and their families, my household, and even my aunt from out of state! It was wonderful just to eat sandwiches and swap old stories.

My daughter’s birthday was that day. I wanted to make things just a little special for her, but she insisted that she didn’t want the attention. We have FIVE May birthdays, though, so I suggested we sing for all the May birthdays. Then we realized all the birthdays we’d missed, so instead we sang, “Happy Birthday to US!” Yes, we really sang it that way. It sounds absolutely silly, and it was, but it was also a really wonderful moment.

I know this little slice of life really only matters to me, but I’m here to say Happy Birthday to YOU! Whether your birthday has been floated while you wait for better times, whether you’ve spent it alone, or even if you were stuck with your circle of quarantine friends; if your birthday is this month or last month or six months ago, then Happy Birthday!

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Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside Detective.  Her short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.