The Colour Collaborative: June: Birthday

You know, I've struggled to write this post.  It's odd, normally I have plenty to say, more ideas than I know what to do with, and after a little mulling over of things I know what I want to say.  But birthday, well, I've found it tricky.  I had a couple of ideas that evaporated as soon as I tried to write them down.  And so the days ticked past and my mind was strangely blank.

The word birthday is one that's used often in this house.  When the little people find something they think they'd like, they ask if they can have it for their birthday.  The littlest boy is particularly fond of adding things to the list.  It doesn't bother him if the actual day is ten months away, he seems to find it reassuring that eventually the time will come when all of his dreams will come true.  Of course, most of the list is forgotten, just a couple of the better (and more realistic) items are given.  But he is always thrilled with what he receives.

The excitement builds for weeks beforehand, and then in the last few days it reaches fever pitch.  Plans are made, a little outing, a treat of a pizza out, the choice of cake, the gifts he might receive.  The idea that he will be king for a day.  In fact, he's king most days, but on his birthday it's legitimate.

The colours of his birthday are bright.  Primary reds, blues and yellows.  There's nothing muted or sophisticated.  The cards, the paper, the compulsory balloons are all strong, certain, happy colours.

When it comes to grown up birthdays though, it's all rather different.  They're not really celebrated round here.  There might be a cake and some cards, but otherwise the day unfolds as normal.  A birthday just doesn't seem the same when you're an adult.  I'm not any good with New Year's Eve either.  I think I have a bit of anxiety when the big dates arrive, the ones that require retrospection and introspection and evaluation of all that's been achieved and thoughts of where next.  I know, I know, I'm overthinking it all again.  But it occurs to me that that is why I couldn't think of anything to say on the subject of birthday.  I've lost the childish joy and squeaky can't-sit-still excitement.

What I need is to forget the tasteful neutrals and sophisticated themes and grown up expectations and go back to yellow and red and bright blue, and have too many balloons and a nice day out and my absolute best cake.  Then maybe I'd be looking forward to my birthday, and I'd be able to write and write about it all.

So birthday, I shall try harder this year.  I shall look for the joy and the excitement and I shall make it all happen.  I'll blow up some yellow balloons and put red icing on my cake and wear a blue party hat and tell everyone they have to do what I say all day.  I can't wait.

How about you?  Any birthday angst, or is it all fizzing wonderment?

To visit the other Colour Collaborative blogs for more of this month's posts just click on the links below.

       Annie at Knitsofacto                                           Gillian at Tales from a Happy House

       Sandra at Cherry Heart                                       Jennifer at Thistlebear

                                          What is The Colour Collaborative?

All creative bloggers make stuff, gather stuff, shape stuff, and share stuff. Mostly they work on their own, but what happens when a group of them work together? Is a creative collaboration greater than the sum of its parts? We think so and we hope you will too. We'll each be offering our own monthly take on a colour related theme, and hoping that in combination our ideas will encourage us, and perhaps you, to think about colour in new ways.