One day in the year

Today is my birthday-  it's bittersweet for me here.  

  In Washington, D.C, I would have gone to the museum of Native American or American Art, going window shopping in Georgetown with some friends,then to go to a Vietnamese Miss Siagon restaurant, talking with the girls at Caribou Coffee 'til the closing time, and being out 'til the sunrise.

In New York City, I would be going  to the MET or the Cloisters to get our hit of generous art, and for lunch, to the Chinatown to eat at Royal Seafood (for Dim sum), and then walking the labyrinth barefoot in the Battery Park, at sunset, and finishing it at the Chocolate Room in Brooklyn at night.

From The Chocolate Room

In Denver, I could find myself at the Tattered Covers bookstore in the morning, go British by drinking tea and munching on cucumber sandwiches at Denver Tea Room, gather comic books/graphic novels from All in a Dream comic shop and walk down the street to the Chessman Park to read them in sunshine and discuss philosophy with friends in comics. Enjoying my favorite dish- homemade spaghetti and meatballs at Piccolo's.   Then we'd watch the sunset go down the mountains, at my favorite spot at the Cherry Creek Dam.  

There's a lot to do in many cities (like London, Chicago, San Diego, Houston, etc) that I know and loved.  I know what to do on my birthday for each location. There are friends that I'd find myself hanging out with. 

Not so here.  It's harder because close friends are away.  I'm terribly proud of one friend walking the Appalachian Trail- by end of July,she'd have finished the 2184 miles of the trail with her deaf-blind friend (who'd create a record of being the first deaf-blind individual walking the whole AT.)   Another friend is on her dream trip in Ireland.  A couple of friends are finishing up their thesis/dissections this summer (and defending their findings soon! Rah, Rah, you go girls!)   Ah, there's one other, but we had not been friends,(I think), beside she'd be busy with the baby coming soon next month, in which I didn't want to deal with any reminder of what I lost, on my birthday.

So I'm off to an all-day training today-the topic is on self-care (risk of burn-out and vicarious trauma). I can't help but find irony in it.  

Yup, I'm feeling sorry for myself today.