Two years ago I decided that no one should have to work on their fortieth birthday and so I took the day off and spent it with the one person I know best - ME. After dropping the kids off at school I strapped my bike to the back of my car and spent a glorious morning biking along the river and around Old Town Alexandria. I had lunch with myself on the tiny balcony at The Fishmarket where I indulged in a pint of beer, fish tacos and peacefully observed from above as people made their way up and down King St. The sun was shining, the beer was cold and I was completely relaxed. That's it, I thought. This is what I'm going to do every year on my birthday. I'm going to take the day off and do whatever I want.
Last year I had a similar day during which I rode my bike along the river (again) but this time crossed the Memorial Bridge into DC, rode around the monuments, had a picnic lunch by the water and achieved a similar inner peace. I discovered that I love being by myself. No need to made unnecessary conversation, no pressure to make plans or follow someone else's schedule - all I had to do was whatever I felt like doing. I ended the afternoon lying on a blanket by the airport while monstrous 747s roared overhead on their approach to landing.
This year my birthday fell on a Saturday. I amended my original plan to take my birthday off every year and decided that it was ok to take the day BEFORE my birthday off so I could still experience the satisfaction of not going to work. Unfortunately my bike was no longer available due to an unfortunate occurrence during our drive to the beach last summer, so I resorted to renting a bike from the Capital Bikeshare kiosks downtown. It sounded like a bargain - wow, $7.00 to rent a bike for the day! However, when I read the fine print I noticed that once the bike has been out for over thirty minutes various surcharges begin to accrue. I swiped my credit card, cringed at the message that stated that a $100.00 hold would be put on my account as insurance, then unhooked my friend for the day - a big, clunky red bike with a flashing light on the front.
As you can see, my friendly red bike took me to some scenic areas, including this one on the Tidal Basin overlooking the Jefferson Memorial. It also took me along the river (noticing a trend here in my birthday bike rides?) where I quickly learned to slightly lift my butt off the seat as I went over large bumps and cracks in the pavement due to the poor shock absorption of the big red bike. I got lots of appreciative "thank yous" from the people I passed when I would slow down and politely state "On your left!". I did not receive the same courtesy from the a--hole who blew past me from behind without any warning on his fancy, 20+ speed bike. I cursed under my breath and decided that it was time to return the big red bike. The limited use of three speeds and the heaviness of the bike were becoming tiresome.
I ended my ride dodging tourists on the trail between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument and made a mental note to never try to ride a bike on the National Mall after 11 a.m. I returned the big red bike, my legs pleasantly fatigued after a full ninety minutes of pedaling around the city. I couldn't have timed the end to my ride any better since the skies broke open about ten minutes later with pouring rain, complete with thunder, lightning and gusty winds.
I ended my day out in Old Town Alexandria (returning to the scene of my first day of birthday hooky) where I sat outside, drank a Stella Artois and read my book while intermittently people watching and eavesdropping on my fellow diners. My life flashed before my eyes when a red sports car whipped into a parking spot about a foot from where I was sitting. As I walked along the waterfront awhile later with a bowl of frozen yogurt I played the part of knowledgeable native as I agreed to take a photo of a group of tourists and directed a lost couple in the direction of the metro. I decided that every birthday from here on out would include some type of bike ride along a body of water and drinking a beer outside in the middle of the day. I also decided that it's time for me to shop for a new bike.
My birthday itself was incredible - brunch in the city with an old friend, an exciting afternoon of hockey at the Verizon Center as my friend Olia and I witnessed the Capitals beating the Rangers in Game 4 of the playoffs, two sightings of endless streams of walkers adorned in pink for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, a sushi dinner with my family. Exhausting yet exhilarating all at once.
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| Avon Walk for Breast Cancer - spotted them on my way to Caps game! |
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| Enjoying Bloody Mary and oysters before the game |
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| The arena as the game was about to start - crazy energy! |
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| Sushi for dinner - perfect end to a perfect day |
I like my forties. In some ways I feel better now than I did in my thirties. My thirties were a blur of having babies, moving twice, lacking sleep and regular exercise. I'm doing things now I never thought I'd do - like running through mud! I'm still married to my best friend and find that our marriage gets stronger and better with each passing year. My kids are old enough now that we can do fun and interesting things together. As I speak they are downstairs attempting to make me a birthday cake.
Life is good. Let my forty third year begin . . .
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