It’s my Birth-month! For those of you who aren’t familiar with this concept, the more birthdays I have the more I feel the need to celebrate. One day, even one week just isn’t enough so I have decided to make it a monthlong party. Why not? After all I am getting older and feeling it. I can and do fight aging, but ultimately, I must accept and live with this fact so I might as well make it fun.

Our celebrations have changed. What used to be weekends away at different surprise locations have become carefully orchestrated daytrips within reasonable driving distance. What might once have been a day at a spa is now an hour getting my feet massaged and my nails trimmed by a registered nurse. What might once have been dinner out and a Broadway show is, well maybe that hasn’t changed so much other than we skip the meal and do a matinee so we’re home by nap time.   

It is so easy to get caught up in being a CarePartner that I forget I have a life too. Doing different things and having fun is good for both of us. It changes up our routine and creates new challenges that expand our lives. I owe it to myself to remember my milestones and celebrate them. Sharing those times with my husband gives me the chance to take some of the emphasis off his diagnosis for a while. I hope that sharing it with you helps us all remember that we are so much more than CarePartners. Happy Birth-month to me!