So May is my birthday month. On May 23rd I turn 59. Yes, really! I only get to say that once so here it is in writing. And as I was sitting around thinking about how I wanted to celebrate I came up with a couple of ideas. Most importantly I want to offer all of you, my SMART readers a gift. If that’s sounds even remotely interesting, and/or you are curious about what I am giving away, please read all the way to the bottom of the post to discover how you can claim your free birthday gift from me.
But my thoughts about birthdays don’t stop there. By the time you get to be my age you’ve certainly been-there done-that with traditional ways to celebrate. So how can we celebrate in a way that makes this year stand out and not only be different, but be one of the more special years of all? With that in mind I discovered three different ways you can make your coming birthday special.
#1) Join the birthday project. The birthday project was born in February 2010 to a woman named Robin Bomar. As she approached her 38th birthday Robin decided that she wanted to celebrate by offering one Random Act of Kindness (RAOK) for every year of her life in the days surrounding her birthday. She made up a list before hand just in case she wasn’t sure she had enough ideas, and then proceeded to fulfill her birthday wish as the days unfolded. Not only did she do 38 RAOKs but she also requested that all of her friends and family do at least one RAOK and tell her about it so she could keep track. In the end, Robin said, “With the exception of my wedding day and the days I gave birth to my children, my 38th birthday was by far the best day of my life. “
The feedback from Robin’s birthday was so tremendously positive that she has since founded a website called “The Birthday Project.” On the site Robin encourages others to “change the world, one birthday at a time.”
The good news is that once Robin set up The Birthday Project website lots of others started practicing their own Birthday Projects and then posting the results on their own blogs. One woman named Mary Yunkin shared her 35 “gifts” on her site and wrote about her eight year old’s reaction when they were all done helping her. He said, “This is so much fun! I’m so happy. I can’t stop laughing and I feel like I’m going to burst.” Three days into this project –“ I still can’t believe how much fun this is. I never knew it was more fun to give things away than it is to get things!” Don’t we all wish our birthday could be that spectacular?
2) The second suggestion for planning a birthday that you’ll remember fondly is to create an experience. Just like with The Birthday Project, if you plan to do something out of the ordinary it will help to make the day more special. One of my more memorable birthdays was when Thom bought me a “skydiving” experience. As I’ve mentioned before, it was something I always said I wanted to do. But honestly when I opened up that gift certificate and saw what it was I wasn’t quite so sure. It took me about a month before I made the appointment but even now, over 15 years later I remember that experience very well. Once you jump out of an airplane at 10,000 feet it helps you realize that you can face just about any fear that comes up. Now that’s another birthday to remember!
3) My third suggestion for a birthday gift is to make something that you consider special and then give it away. That’s why I intend to offer my first novel, Finding Grace—A Transformational Journey as a free ebook to anyone who wants to read it. On any day from May 18th to May 22nd you can go to Amazon.com and download the ebook at absolutely no cost to you. I wrote the book for people to read and because I would love for all of my friends and readers to have a copy, this is my gift to you.
I wrote Finding Grace nearly 10 years ago and finally published it last year on January 21st. I wrote a blog post both about the book and what I learned along the way so if you are interested in that back-story you can read about it here. Meanwhile, I’ve been fortunate enough to receive a number of reviews that will also give you an idea if the book would be something you’d like to read.
I am also pleased to announce that I’ve been working on a “print” version of the book that I will just now be making available. I’m sort of excited about this too because I did the formatting myself. While I won’t be offering the print version for free, I am keeping the price about as low as Amazon will allow. Check that out if you really want to have a book to hold in your hands. Just remember, with the ebook you can read it on any computer, an ipad or even your iphone and it costs nothing. Just download the app on the Amazon website.
So what am I going to do on my birthday? This year I plan to go sailing. In all my years I have never been sailing even though it’s something on my bucket list. It’s actually a 2-hour sail cruise out of San Diego harbor, but it should give me an idea of whether I want to take anything longer in the future.
Besides that, I will likely practice some random acts of kindness just because of all the inspiration I received after reading so many people’s websites when they did it. I want to be just like that 8-year-old boy who said, “This is so much fun! I’m so happy. I can’t stop laughing and I feel like I’m going to burst. I never knew it was more fun to give things away than it is to get things!” Doesn’t that sounds like a very SMART way to celebrate a birthday no matter what your age?
Photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt from Flickr Creative Commons
No it seems to keep giving me errors? Tried twice.
Wonderful ideas! Next year will be my 70th and I’ve been searching for ideas to celebrate! Thank you!
LOVED THIS POST! You and my beautiful 26 year old daughter share the same birthday. You and I have connection we did not create ourselves! The birth of my daughter (she was my first) was one of the happiest of my life. The story you share about the RAOK is out of this world amazing! I also believe now that we have passed the half way mark, life is about experiences. Also give the gift of time instead of something you buy in a store. Spending time is the greatest gift of all. PS Happy Belated Birthday!
Hi Suzanne! I am so happy to share a birthday with your daughter! I haven’t found too many others that have that date and it’s always fun to share with others. I’ll be thinking of her next year for sure. And yes, is that idea of RAOK a great way to go? And if your daughter and I share similar temperaments then I KNOW she would like the gift of your time and attention more than any other gift you can ever give her! ~Kathy
I love the idea of making your birthday about others, and doing random acts of kindness. What a grand and fulfilling idea.
And looking forward to the read – I just bought it (since I missed the freebie period). Thanks so much.
Hi Beverly! Oops! Sorry you missed the free period. NOW I REALLY hope you like the book. It was a fun way to celebrate and I’m hoping that everyone enjoys the story. I wrote a story like those I like to read so I’m hoping others feel that same. Thanks for your support! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy Gottberg ,
you have posted very nice article.You give a wonderful idea to all people for celebrating birthday.
Thanks for sharing
Keep it up 🙂
Hi Addison! Thank you. I glad you liked the article and the idea for a birthday celebration. Let me know if I was able to inspire you to try something different yourself this year! ~Kathy
Love it! What a great ideas to celebrate LIFE and others as well on your birthday. Must make some of these my own!
Hi Anne-Marie! Thank you for stopping by SMART Living and joining the conversation. Yes, I agree that any way we can celebrate LIFE is a good one…and our birthday is just another excellent excuse. I appreciate you taking the time to comment and hope you’ll be back in the future! ~Kathy
Enjoy San Diego! We’re trying to coordinate vacation/hiking time with work time. Still working on figuring out which days we’ll be out and about. We may do a couple of 3-day getaways versus taking a week off. Still up in the air though. If we make it Palm Springs way, I’ll be sure to email you and let you know! Cheers!
Kathy, May 23rd is my wedding anniversary! So the day you turn 59, my marriage turns 27! Yay!!
I hope you have a wonderful, memorable and magical day. I’ll raise a toast to you as I toast my own marriage. 🙂
Hey Nancy! Happy Anniversary! You were married on an amazing day–my birthday!!! 🙂 Thanks for the lovely good wishes….and yes, a toast to both of you and me too! One of these days we’ll have to get together for a big celebration. 🙂 I’ll be in San Diego this year if you want to come on down. ~Kathy
Happy birthday! Thanks for the wonderful ideas. I’m going to start planning random acts of kindness right now in preparation for my birthday in August. And….I am going to take advantage of your birthday offer, and get your book. Thanks!
Hi Kathy! Thank you for your birthday wishes. AND PLEASE if you do the birthday project come back and let me know how it went for you. There are actually a bunch of ideas on The Birthday Project websites and others if you google it. Have FUN! I also hope you enjoy my book! ~Kathy
Kathy, I meant to ask you not to enter me in your drawing because I already have your book Finding Grace, and yes it’s a wonderful story. I’m glad you remembered.
I too am working on a book based on my blog but I’ve done something a bit different. I took the titles of blog posts and created an outline but organizing them and now I am writing all new content to go with the titles. I plan to link to the original articles, which may be completely different subject matter in some cases. I’m hoping the bonus of linking to the articles will give readers of the book more to think about.
Please let me know when you complete your book.
Hi Lois….no worries. I’m actually making it a FREE DOWNLOAD for everyone who wants to read it so if you know of anyone you think might like it feel free to send them a link. The more the better as far as I’m concerned! I wrote it to be read so that is my primary goal–and besides! It’s my birthday! 🙂
And good for you for working on your book. Adding new content is great…I did a bit of that with the book that will be coming out in June that I’ve named “Simple*SMART*Happy” Just don’t let that hold you back from getting it done. Remember my blog post, “Good Enough And Done Is Better Than Perfect” 🙂 If you need any help or suggestions, please just ask. I will DEFINITELY let everyone know when my next one is available.
Have a great weekend. ~Kathy
Happy Birthday. I’m a bit early but would hate to miss the opportunity to wish you a wonderful day.
I have thought about doing random acts of kindness on my birthday, or the week of, but being as my birthday falls in the middle of winter when I am stuck inside I get stuck on things I can do from home (aside from offering to babysit).
I have been thinking about you with the wildfires in So. California and hope you and Thom are safe and well.
Hi Lois! Thank you for your birthday wishes. I know my gift won’t do much for you because you’ve already read Finding Grace and wrote me a wonderful review. I will have to send you a copy of my NEXT book! 🙂 I’m actually also just finishing up my first SMART Living blog compilation book…and will be releasing it in a couple of weeks on SMART Living 365’s anniversary. It’s certainly fun to celebrate our special day when involved in creating something that we made with our own two hands (sorta 🙂 ) Thank you again for stopping by. ~Kathy
Happy Birthday (Almost)
I LOVE your ideas! (A lot)
Random act of Kindness (YESSS)
Experiences. (Absolutely)
I hope you have beautiful ones for you birthday! x
Hey Kim! Your post looks like a happy birthday poem! I love it! In case you haven’t noticed I have definitely already started celebrating. And it is so much fun with so many great friends. Thank you so much for being part of it these days. ~Kathy
Happy Birthday my friend! I can hear the excitement in your voice as your day gets closer! I think your sailing will be a grand new experience to mark this special year…but your graciousness and bubbly attitude are gifts of kindness to us all…you spread happy all around! I love this piece and screenshot it yo save! Happy Birthday month!
Hi Joan! Thank you so much for your birthday wishes. Yes, I do get a bit carried away with them. 🙂 Of course I’m just as excited about other people’s birthday (to Thom’s chagrin!) as my own. Any good excuse for a party is my motto. And the best gift anyone can give me is the one you just did by telling my I “spread happy all around!” I think that is one of my reasons for living. 🙂
THANK YOU! for you your lovely thoughts Joan! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I have always believed that birthdays are special days, whatever the age…rather we get to celebrate them better as we grow older, focus shifts as we feel freer!
It is a great idea to offer your book free! I had no idea, honestly that we can do so! Thanks for passing such kindness around. Enjoy your birthday…thanks for the book.
Hi Blaroop! Thank you for your birthday wishes. I so agree that birthdays are special regardless of our age. It is enough that we celebrate the life we have been given right? And yes, Amazon allows you to give away your ebook for free for a limited number of days if you sign up for a special KDP program. You can only do it a few times but I thought this would be a fun time–and I plan to launch the “print” version at the same time. (That’s why I picked the dates May 18 to the 22nd). Please be sure and grab a copy and let me know what you think! ~Kathy
Happy early birthday!! May birthdays are the best… love your thoughts about them! I was going to let mine pass without much thought… but you’ve provoked me to give it some energy. I will be having dinner with my grandsons and that’s pretty special. Blessings!
Hey Birthday Girl! I was thinking about you knowing YOUR birthday is in just a couple of days too! I sure wish we lived closer again so we could celebrate together! Either way I will be thinking of you for sure and hoping your day is AWESOME! Your grandsons are growing REALLY fast so enjoy your time with them–and throw in a few more indulgences while you are at. ~Kathy
Because you are a much older (4 months) person whom I respect, I will take your birthday advice. 🙂 We 55’ers have to stick together!
Hi Diane!!! Hahahaha! Yes, I am feeling very wise these day 🙂 So my advice to you is to use the next 4 months figuring out how you can make YOUR birthday super special. Then report back and let us know what you did (or at least write a blog post about it!) ~Kathy
Happy Birthday! Great ideas all around and hope you enjoy your sail.
A friend of mine who is a big walker for his 60th birthday chose to walk in a charity walk every month held on a Sunday. He learned a lot about various charities, met some nice people, got in great shape and has a supply of T-Shirts.
Hi Haralee! Thank you for your birthday wishes. And I love your idea from your friend. I too am a big walker and that’s something that is interesting to me too. Hmmm…almost time to start planning for my 60th!!!! ~Kathy
This is fantastic, Kathy! Happy Birthday to you. I’m turning 50 in September so it’s not too late for me to make a plan. I’ve talked to my kids about going to Tofino on a surfing trip. Yes, we’ll all take a surf lesson together. I’m nervous about it and the water is ice cold. I’m after a different experience and not into the surprise party scene…I will check out that website you mention, too.
I will definitely download your book. It looks very uplifting! Thanks for the gift 🙂
Hi Lisa! Yes 50 is a big one so be sure and plan something special. Going on a special trip is ALWAYS nice and memorable. I think I’d choose to go somewhere where the water is warmer if I were you 😉 but remember, “You get to make it up!” I’m definitely one of those people who can’t understand why some people don’t like to make a big deal of their birthdays–to me, any excuse to celebrate being alive and happy is a good one. Be sure and come back and let us know what you end up doing for your 50th! ~Kathy
Wonderful ideas! Next year will be my 70th and I’ve been searching for ideas to celebrate! Thank you!
Hi Nancy! Thanks for stopping by SMART Living! And congratulations on your 70th! You DEFINITELY want to do something wonderful to celebrate. I’m thinking I might do the entire 60 RAOKs for my birthday next….Let’s report back and see how it goes. ~Kathy
My third suggestion for a birthday gift is to make something that you consider special and then give it away. That’s why I intend to offer my first novel, Finding Grace—A Transformational Journey as a free ebook to anyone who wants to read it. On any day from May 18th to May 22nd you can go to Amazon.com and download the ebook at absolutely no cost to you. I wrote the book for people to read and because I would love for all of my friends and readers to have a copy, this is my gift to you.
Thank you. I will download it. Great thing to do for your birthday!
Leslie
Hi Leslie! I picked the FREE days on Amazon for a time between when this post comes out and my birthday so the most people can take advantage of it….I will remind everyone during those days by posting it on FB and Twitter and Google +. Please get your copy and I truly hope you enjoy it! ~Kathy
A wonderful, inspirational post with some super ideas for making the day meaningful. And I hope I remember to download your wonderful book! Thank you!
Hi Carol. Glad you liked my ideas–am hoping it inspires many of us in the future. And no worries about remembering the book–I will post again on FB and Google+ on the days it will be available. ~Kathy
Hi Kathy,
That was SO beautifully written, and wishing you a very Happy Birthday, well in advance 🙂
I loved the three ways you mentioned, and have heard of the RAOK earlier too. I think it’s these little gestures that make life so worthwhile and meaningful. I would love to go through your book too, and I hope I remember to download it (I think I better mark it right now!), and sailing – wow! It sounds so wonderful – a real getaway.
Wishing you all the best, and I hope you have a lot of fun living each moment of that day, and everyday. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this with us. Have a nice weekend 🙂
Hi Harleena! Thank you for the birthday good wishes. I LOVE celebrating so I’m always on the look out for meaningful ways to do it. And yes, isn’t the RAOK such a great way. And yes, if Finding Grace sounds interesting please get your copy. I will be reminding everyone on twitter and FB to do it too so no worries. ~Kathy
What a wonderful Idea! I am a year ahead of you so my December birthday is a “biggy”. I hope you love sailing as much as I do. It is so peaceful at times and hair-raising at other times. If your stomach bothers you stay up top! Don’t go below. Enjoy, enjoy.
Hi Pam! I hope you have something REALLY special planned for your big day in December. I’m a big one for celebrating just about anything because it reminds us of all the good in our life. If you need ideas…just let me know 😉
And yes, I am so looking forward to the sailing. My stomach is good but Thom ALWAYs has to take something. Thanks for the good wishes. ~Kathy