Birthday Rules for Birthdays that Rule!

Do you have any special things that you do to celebrate your birthday?

I usually make a detailed plan every year that also usually runs amok. Over the years I’ve come up with a framework for myself that can create the potential for a nice day.

One thing about making a plan in advance: be prepared to abandon your plan at any point during the day. Do not let your plan get in the way of you taking advantage of anything that comes your way.

So…Here are my ten rules for a birthday that rules for 2010:

Take the day off from work. I repeat, do not work on your birthday. This is your (first) gift to yourself.
Go out for a nice (big) breakfast, or else have someone deliver your favorite small baked good and coffee to you in bed.
Go to see the ocean! Even better, take a walk at the ocean. If for some reason you just can’t pull that off, then see it online with the Wells Beach Webcam. It’s better than not seeing it at all.
Go to the bookstore. Browse to your heart’s content. You will know you are finished when a book finds you that you can’t go home without.
Nap!
Have some birthday cake, but leave the “cake” part open to interpretation. Your cake this year might be a little pie from Cherie’s in Kennebunk.
Check email selectively; only open well-wishes from friends, family, and colleagues. The rest can wait.
Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want! No matter who you are, you are not surrounded by mind-readers.
Buy all the newspapers that you can that have the “Born Today” section in the Horoscopes. It will give you your forecast for the year ahead. It’s fun to see how different (or similar) to each other they are, and fun to look back over the past year to see how accurate (:)) last year’s forecast was.
Take a picture! or take lots of pictures! You will only be this age once.