In the blink of an eye

I've always felt slightly jipped being (at least) a year behind all of my cronies in age. You get to your birthday, and are inevitably somewhat disappointed when someone congratulates you out loud on "turning the big ___ (fill in the blank)"... they're off by a year, aren't they? I mean, haven't we been saying that age for a whole year now? I swear I'm older than that. I find some solace in reminding myself that this sense of perpetual disappointment most probably will not last too much longer ... pretty soon I'll be wishing people were "behind" by two years, or perhaps three.

In fact, the big 2 - 5 feels like a bit of a "whoa" year. One of those HOLY-SHOOTS, I-really-need-to-get-my act-together life moments/illuminations. Certainly not all of the "whoas" are bad though - a lot of very good and be very thankful "whoas" are in there too, together with a good number of "who woulda thunk-its". In no particular order ...

Big 2-5 realisation #1: I HAD A LARGER INCOME (not to mention fewer expenses) WHEN I WAS 17 THAN I DO WITH 25. Thanks to painfully detailed personal history/job application forms for the reminder...

Big 2-5 realisation #2: I AM MY MOTHER'S DAUGHTER. I remember when I was just a punk kid never understanding why mom ran around the house in such distress trying to get ready for house parties/guests. Why couldn't people just see us how we really live? With guests en route this weekend, who else but yours truly had a mop in one hand, Windex in the other and was using eye-rays to check off the significant others' "honey please do" list as he ever-so-kindly painted the (fabulous) newly installed window sill just hours before go time?

Big 2-5 realisation #3: I HAVE INDEED BECOME DOMESTICATED. Birthday gifts this year just about perfectly fall into one of two categories: plants or cook books. And not because the generous gift bearers were strapped for ideas and grabbed the first thing on the discount shelf, but because they've got me figured out in my most recent evolutions. Apparently my "original" lunchtime concoctions have made quite an impression at work, and, if my current collection of some thirty-three (live!) plants split between work and home isn't evidence of my bio bug, I'm not sure what is.

Big 2-5 realisation #4: "JE SUIS CE QUE JE SUIS GRACE AUX AUTRES". ("I am what I am thanks to others"). So goes the publicity currently circulating around town; so goes my life. Just over a year ago, I moved to a new city in which I hardly spoke the language, hardly knew a soul, began living solo and started a new job on a wing and a prayer. Last year, I celebrated the Big 2-4 in the company of very good friends who, knowing I'd be sore for birthday company, traveled from afar just for the occasion, to feast on an intimate homemade fondue at home. This year, I not only was blessed to celebrate in the company of very good friends here in town (and a good number who still traveled from afar!) who know me well enough to know that cookbooks and plants are indeed excellent gift choices, but there were so many great friends that we sought a restaurant destination (known only to Genevan locals) for our Once-in-a-quarter-century fondue party. Once there, we not only sang happy birthday in English, but managed to get into highly competitve linguistic birthday wars with the table next to us - English, French, German, Spanish, Italian .... (see the PHOTOS HERE)

Big 2-5 realisation #5: THE "PARTY" IS OVER. In the blink of an eye, I am no longer covered by Mom and Dad's insurance, no longer eligible for youth transport discounts, museum discounts, movie discounts; I can hardly pull off the "student" excuse with any great success and friends are now buying houses, cars and baby strollers at a truly alarming rate. Certainly not to say that the last four years have been typified by thumb twiddling nor horsing around, but it yet again begs the question ... Just where is that full-contract paycheck again?

And with that, I leave you with a shot of the best birthday bouquet ever, courtesy of my wonderful and ever-so-thoughtful family.