The importance of adult friendships and birthdays #WednesdayWords

As you get older, birthdays become less and less important. Sometimes we skip them altogether. You often hear people saying "It's just another day". But you know what? It's not. Surely, as we get older, we should celebrate our birthdays more? I kept quiet about my negativity over having Cancer last year, I've barely mentioned to anyone, not even my own husband, the number of times I wondered if I might not have many birthdays left. And now I have the all clear... I still wonder how many birthdays I have left. I wonder how many more Cancers I can survive, before one takes me out of this beautiful life.

So my 28th birthday last week, was hugely important to me. I'm surprised how many people noticed me missing on social media and my blog, but due to almost a whole week of celebrating my birthday, I've barely been here and only blogged about the Saatchi Bill. I even missed my usual #WednesdayWords post altogether. I'm touched to read that my absence was noted. It means people care.

I was skeptical about going out for my birthday. Even dreading it at times, because I didn't want a night away from my incredible daughters. I have always been a VERY maternal person. My children are my entire world. I hate being parted from them. But now I've done it, I think I can see how necessary it was. Not just because I can't keep them as babies forever (they're growing frightfully fast), but also, because I had no idea how much I missed my friends. I think just sometimes, a night away from the children, can do us parents some good.

I went on the biggest of my birthday nights out, while my mum had the girls (thank you mum!) and I mixed friends from all walks of my life. There was a friend from play school and primary school, a friend from secondary school and her husband (who has also become a good friend) and a friend I met through work many years ago. A friend who used to drink in the pub where I worked, when I thought I'd landed the job of my dreams (oh how wrong I was) and his girlfriend, a friend from the blog world (Pink Oddy) and her husband. A friend who gave me a home when I didn't have one, a friend we met on the holiday of a lifetime in Cyprus, and of course my husband. And do you know what? Every single one of them got on SO well. And I was the glue in the middle, bringing them all together. And it wasn't until I got them all together, that I understood how little I see of my friends and how much I miss them all.

As we get older, our friends become more important, not less. But they also become more understanding that we see them less. And likewise, I think birthdays become more important, not less. Especially when we think about friends we lost years ago, who stopped having birthdays long before old age.

This was going to be a "sorry I've not blogged for a while" post, but it's not. I'm not sorry. I've been out living for the moment and appreciating the people in my life. Celebrating life and friendship. And now... I'm going to throw a quote out there too, so I can also make this post, my inspiring #WednesdayWords post too...

 "No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth" - Robert Southey