Twenty two!

Yesterday was my birthday and it was lovely. Twenty two used to be one of those not particularly  significant birthdays, until Taylor Swift wrote this song...

Now, according to Miss Swift, being 22 entitles you to do all sorts of things that I've never had much interest in doing, like eating breakfast in the middle of the night.

The significance of the number 22 aside, I had a really lovely birthday. It started well on the Saturday night when some close family friends came around for dinner and stayed until late. On Sunday, "the day", Patsy arrived from Adelaide for the occasion. She was in good spirits despite a few delays and has been great the whole time she has been here. 

After picking up Patsy it was lunch time and that was when the biggest surprise of the day appeared. My buddy Leesa called around and brought with her one of the most fantastic gifts I've received, Patrick.

Leesa is the best kind of friend there is and it takes someone really special to build you a bear that incorporates your birthday and your favourite football team in something so perfectly cute and cuddly. Patrick Brebner Griffin is a limited edition St Patrick's Day mint green Build-a-Bear, dressed in his very handsome Carlton uniform. He's fantastic. 

After Leesa's visit, Patsy, Mum and I went down to the golf shop. Patsy loves that the golf bug has infiltrated the Brebner Griffin household, so she loved the idea of buying me some golf clothing for my birthday. It must have been St Patrick's Day birthday luck, because everything I tried on fitted and I got to chose which things I liked rather than having to reluctantly go with whatever I could squish myself into. We have got to know the guys down at the golf shop pretty well and they managed to find an incredible number of discounts to give us, which was fantastic and very generous. 

We had an early dinner down at the Middle Brighton Baths. It is a beautiful spot down there, but it must have changed hands since we were last there because the food, whilst edible, was somewhat underwhelming. It was so nice to have all my living grandparents in one place and seeming to enjoy each other's company. There were ten of us all together including Kate's boyfriend Tom and uncle Andrew. 

I received so many wonderful presents. I am so lucky that every year on March 17th I am the recipient of many thoughtful, valuable and lovely gifts. This year I was struck more than usual by how truly lucky I am. Getting nice things is great, but what felt different about this birthday is that I think I am the happiest I've ever been. 

The greatest gift that my friends and family give me is their unconditional love and support. Without that gift there is no way I would be where I am right now and there is no way my future would look so bright. No person is an island and it has taken me a while to learn how to accept and appreciate love and support. I think my favourite tennis player, Rafael Nadal, is right, no one achieves anything worth doing alone. I continue to be a flawed human being and my life has its moments of difficulty but day to day, I feel calm.

Material things can be lovely and I love all the presents I received, but it is what I'm given every day by the people that love me that really makes me lucky. That is why I am trying to develop a practice of being thankful.