Wednesday, September 15

Birthday Pastries vs. Birthday Blues



I get the birthday blues every year. I think it started when I turned 24 while I was living in London. I was in the M&A department of a blue-blooded British investment bank, lived in a smart part of London, and had a tall, blond, public-schooled investment analyst for a boyfriend. That was the year I realized that I added little value to the world even though I worked 14 hour days. I could play no musical instrument, no sport (except for badminton, but is that really a sport?), and I did not know how to paint nor produce anything of artistic value. I realized that if I were suddenly hit by a bus, no one would miss me for anything I did. So, I embarked upon a mission of self-improvement, which was half Singaporean and half Virgo in nature. I decided to take up various courses - piano lessons in Hampstead, art lessons on the Strand and tennis lessons in Regents Park.

Many years have passed since that point in time, 13 to be exact. I can now paint huge canvasses of acrylic and oil and can play decent tennis. No, I didn't get very far with my piano, but my two lovely children are learning to play piano, violin, tennis and golf. I have a handsome doting husband (neither blond nor English), a good, steady career, a beautiful house with a koi pond, and a burgundy BMW. However, I still get the birthday blues.

Today is my birthday. Three days ago on Sunday, as my birthday blues started settling in, my fabulous girlfriends from Davidson turned up at my house for a surprise tea party. The five of us get together regularly for glasses of wine, dinners and movies and have been compared with famous posses like the one in Sex in the City - some of the fashion and very little of the sex. The fab four, Artichoke Dip, Brown Sugar Cookie, Fruit Salad and Texan Chili, turned up at my door with huge smiles and tea from Gevalia, cucumber sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, raspberry jam, and brown sugar cookies. The warmth and affection was just what I needed and I smiled through it all, not revealing the blues I concealed in my heart.


At work today, I had a similar special treat as Swiss Chocolate took me to a new French Bakery in Uptown Charlotte, Amelie, and treated me to pastries and coffee. The greedy guts that I am, I wanted to try two pastries instead of one, and she smilingly obliged. I chose the chocolate eclair and my all-time favorite, the almond croissant and washed it all down with some French roast coffee. I also got to sample some of Swiss Chocolate's plum tart. They were all very good and the almond croissant was exceptional.


My mother once said to me, "Cinnamon, wherever you go, you manage to make really good girl friends. You are very lucky." She's right. All through my life, in all the cities I have lived in, I have managed to surround myself with a tight group of girl friends. Maybe, I am always looking to replace my original tight group of four sisters. Whatever the impetus, I am indeed fortunate. I may not be able to move people with music, nor art, will probably not win a trophy for tennis, but if I were hit by a bus, I think my sisters and friends will miss me.

The pastries won the battle this year.

Cinnamon

8 comments:

sutapa said...

Good read.Please do tell me the way to Amelia, would love to go there with Cinnamon and Swiss Chocolate.

shobha said...

smiled at the end of it.....

Anonymous said...

Please, my dear friend, stay away from buses! We would miss you terribly. And your dark chocolate torte. :)
Hugs, love and birthday wishes,
BSC

Anonymous said...

Hey! Prince Charming, Vanilla and Chocolate would miss you, too. We are not chopped liver.
Love, Prince Charming

Carrie said...

This is lovely, as are you and all your talents... piano notwithstanding.

p.s. I never got piano either, and look where we are now!

Anonymous said...

okay - this one made me cry. What is it that makes us think we always have to be more, why are we always measuring? Is this a virgo thing - you can never be neat enough, perfect enough, needed enough. I hate to think you ever don't feel enough. However, I do think there is so much value in dissatisfaction... dissatisfaction is what drives us to find the next best thing either in others or in ourselves. In some ways I feel like this discontent is actually the driver of all things that provide contentment and satisfaction. So, I just convinced myself and hopefully you to embrace this feeling of the blues as a dose of the medicine to keep you fresh and going. You know, you have such amazing friends because you are so engaged and always open to learning and looking for more... a drive that comes annually at your birthday...

kohlrabi

Anonymous said...

Oh my dear Cinnamon, what a beautiful blog! You are one of the most amazing people I know, so I am delighted that we lifted your blues somewhat this year. Please, no more talk of buses....you would be missed more than you know1 I feel SO very blessed to have you in my life! xoxo Texan Chili :)

Anonymous said...

My dearest cinnamon - I seemed to have missed your birthday post somehow so a month later here I am to add to the many comments on what a great friend you are...18 years worth of friendship and for at least 12 of those we have been in different continents. I am not sure that will ever change but I don't think our friendship will either.

On the subject of birthday blues I do believe that maybe vodka jelly (or vodka jell-o shots as they are best known as in the USA) is what has been missing on your birthdays all these years...it would seem that your downfall coincided with me not being there to provide such sophisticated beverages?

Melanie x

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