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It’s my birthday today. I don’t want anything, I mean it.
I just want to relax. Sit out on my porch in the sun and relax. That’s all.
Sure, I might want a cocktail while I sit out there. Nothing fancy. Maybe a beer or wine. No big deal. Or, maybe sangria, but not the fake ones that people make with 7-Up and bad wine. Authentic sangria that has been soaking in fruit all day. Yeah, that’d be good.
Then again, I do like frozen drinks when it’s sunny. Just a simple frozen margarita or daiquiri. Oh wait, I know – an icy, creamy piña colada, made from scratch of course, served straight out of a real coconut. Now that’s the ticket.
Mind you, I wouldn’t want to be pathetic all by myself, so it would be better if a friend sat with me on the porch. I don’t want anyone to feel obligated. Just a good friend who isn’t just trying to check a box. Someone who really appreciates me. That’s all. And of course it’d be great if she brought the drinks so I wouldn’t have to make them myself.
Actually, now that I think of it, it’d be neat if other friends got word and were like, “It’s Lisa’s birthday! She’s so cool, let’s celebrate with her!” Not friends that think, “Oh crap, it’s Lisa’s birthday ... I’ll regift that candle I got for Mother’s Day.”
Just sincere friends on the porch with drinks, that’s all I want. Although, if they chipped in without me knowing and bought me something special, I’d be so touched. Nothing expensive, just something meaningful that they knew I’d love.
But seriously, I’ll be happy as long as I don’t have to cook, so I hope my husband Francis picks up some takeout. I don’t care what it is. Just something light. Maybe Mediterranean? A big Greek salad with crumbled feta, tzatziki, fresh dill, Kalamata olives and marinated grilled chicken, thinly sliced of course, would be fantastic. Ooh, and he can’t forget flatbread warmed on the grill to give it that smoky taste.
I’m so easy to please, I don’t even need a birthday cake. If a friend brings a cupcake with a candle in it, that’s all I need. Hell, I’d take a pan of brownies. Like Duncan Hines Fudge Brownies with walnuts, served warm and gooey with vanilla ice cream. Add a drizzle of Baileys and a few dark chocolate curls, and that’s a real dessert.
Whatever happens, I just don’t want to clean. I’m so sick of cleaning. I just want Francis to load the dishwasher and wipe the crumbs up. It’ll only take a few minutes. Wouldn’t it be outstanding, though, if he secretly hired a cleaning person? It’d be unbelievable if I came inside from my birthday cocktails & Greek dinner party and found a professionally cleaned house.
Our three children are so busy with their own lives, I’m perfectly OK with cards this year. As long as they take the time to write something meaningful inside. Nothing elaborate, just a few words that will express their gratitude for the decades that I gave up my law career to become a military spouse and mom, selflessly dedicating my life to raising them into successful young adults. Really, anything to bring a little tear to my eye. That would be nice.
But definitely no gifts. Nothing more than a refrigerator magnet. Knowing them, they probably snuck away with their father and picked out something that I would’ve never asked for, because I never demand anything. Like a piece of stylish real gold jewelry that is symbolic in some way. Or maybe an iPad. Or a Mediterranean cruise.
Any old thing will do. Like I said, I don’t really want anything. I just want to relax.
I’d better go charge my camera. It would stink if my friends showed up with cocktails and gifts for the Greek dinner party and no one records me when I cry over the kids’ cards and the necklace, and when I open the new iPad and the cruise tickets.
I should be prepared, just in case. You never know.
Read more at themeatandpotatoesoflife.com and in Lisa’s book, “The Meat and Potatoes of Life: My True Lit Com.” Email: meatandpotatoesoflife@gmail.com
