Order for Madonna

Am I getting wiser or just more annoyed at things that don’t matter?

My birthday is soon, so I’ve been thinking…. “what do I want?”

Recently, I have started sort of resenting material things. As a wife and mother to three children, presents no longer bring joy. On the contrary, the’ve become just additional things I have to take care of… find a place for… wash, iron, put away… fix if it gets broken… list at an inevitable garage sale that I have to organize at some point in the future when even more stuff comes in and it all becomes boring or extra or just plain trash. It’s honestly… gotten so overwhelming and dumb.

What do I want for my birthday?

Morning snuggles with my kids.

Doing something outside.

Moving my healthy body and feeling it sweat.

Having a homemade cocktail.

Hot sex with my husband.

Maybe get crazy and try a new position.

Maybe a quiet moment to myself.

Maybe blowing out a birthday candle. Don’t even need a cake – just a candle will do.

Intense gratitude for another trip around the sun.

Hopefully some wisdom from the year that sinks deep inside and stays there for the rest of my life, guiding me and keeping me from making the same mistakes twice…

What infuriates me about the world we live in, is no influencer would promote a day like this. None of those things can be easily linked and monetized.

It makes me think of Russel Hammond from the film “Almost Famous.” “I’m just looking for something real. Something that’s real. Because it’s all happening”

I want my birthday to be real. Because it is all happening. My life… is happening.

You can keep your stuff. Too much stuff. I want all the things that money can’t buy.

And for the goodness sake, if it has to be ironed, keep it away from me.