Don't Have a Cow: It's Your Birthday

If you’ve been following my blog, you may have noticed that I didn’t post anything last week. I had a couple of personal celebrations that distracted me from my normal routine of writing; a lock-down birthday (we won’t mention numbers) and a wedding anniversary – 15 years married. But on top of that, it’s hard to focus on writing something engaging and interesting when life looks pretty much the same from one day to the next. Fortunately for me, my husband, two daughters, and my friends teamed up to make sure that my birthday didn’t merge into every other day of the week.

For the first time in our history of living in the US, we didn’t have to work around July 4th celebrations. My birthday is on the 2nd of the month, and most of my American friends are usually at the beach or with their own families remembering how they gained independence from my distant ancestors, instead of watching me blow out my candles. Not this year.

After being woken by two excited girls telling me it was time to get up, I was ushered downstairs to open cards and gifts that they’d prepared for me. “What’s the hurry?” I asked. “We’ve got all day.” Their coy expressions suggested maybe that wasn’t the case. At a set time, I was told that I needed to be outside to meet a couple of neighbors who wanted to wish me a Happy Birthday from a distance. "How lovely," I thought and innocently wandered down the driveway ready to be greeted. The first hint that there might be a bit more to this came when a contractor working in a nearby street came to chat to me, and my husband became uncharacteristically anxious. What did it matter if I was speaking to someone when my neighbor friends appeared? Moments after the guy left, a convoy of cars rounded the top of our cul-de-sac. Horns were honking, banners were flying, and friends were waving from sunroofs and windows. I stood like the Queen waving back to everyone in my very own birthday parade, as 'God Save The Queen’ blasted from the speakers of one friend's 1955 Cadillac for all to hear.

I’ve been attending these parades for months with my children. It has become a huge thing in our town, organized by an amazing local mom who sets routes, invites the local police and fire department to ride along with lights and sirens, and the whole community takes part in the celebration. My youngest daughter even made it into the local press for wearing a dress up cow’s head while she waved out of the sunroof for her friends’ birthdays. An appearance from the ‘Birthday Bovine’ created quite a stir and our birthday catchphrase, 'Don't have a cow, it's your birthday, was born. The pleasure of taking part in the parades and seeing those children on their birthdays is huge. Now I can tell you, it’s a lot of fun being on the receiving end of one!

If you’d told me a year ago that I’d celebrate my birthday with my friends driving past my house, I’d probably have told you that you were mad. I’d be with them sharing a glass of something cold, not standing at the curb side waving and blowing kisses. Who knew how fast things would change and how quickly we’d be forced to accept a new normal? The whole drive-by, from beginning to end, lasted about 90 seconds. In that brief time, 12 cars filled with joy brought something unique to my birthday. I did get to be with my friends on my birthday. It didn’t look the same as it might have done minus a lock-down, but that was okay. More than okay. In fact, it was great.

I don’t know if these new traditions will stick, or if they’ll remain a memory of how we celebrated during a Pandemic. Either way, I’m grateful to have a thoughtful husband who made it happen, and such great friends for turning up – again and again, no matter what.