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It's my birthday!
You all know what that means. Well, if you've been here a while you know. If you're new to The Romance Dish, here's the deal.
Today is my birthday. I'm of an age where I pretty much have everything I need. Except books. I mean, come on, can we ever really have enough books? I think not. But I digress.
This year, I'm asking for one thing: kindness. In lieu of gifts, I would like people to perform acts of kindness. Large or small, random or planned, we can all benefit from the giving and receiving of kindness. I already have one (given) in my pocket from my trip to the grocery Monday. And here's my next...
Another favorite gift of mine is books and on my birthday, I like to flip the kindness script. Instead of receiving books, it gives me immense pleasure to give them. To you, my favorite readers who come to the Dish day after day, year after year, or possibly are visiting for the first time, to share my love of reading and romance.
So, for a chance to take home one of the birthday giveaways listed below, tell me how you celebrate your birthday. Is it a big deal? Low key? What brings you joy on your special day?
Have you given - or received - a kindness recently?
Random winners will be chosen from all comments posted before 11:00 PM, September 23. If you post anonymously, please include a first name or screen name in your comment.
*U.S. only
*Must be 18
Happy Happy Birthday. Hope you have a wonderful day and thank you for a great giveaway. Great prizes and the Shipman and Solheim sound great. I go out to dinner with my daughter and family and also a few lunches and a dinner with friends; so I get a lot of days to celebrate. Several mos. ago someone on paperbackswap gifted me 10 book credits for no reason and I never was able to find out who it was. I love to pay it forward. I gave a starbucks employee a gift card one time and always like to surprise book friends with books, especially if they need a lift. Today I have a book wrapped to send to one of my swap friends who recently had a knee replacement. Good luck to everyone.
ReplyDeleteThe Shipman and Solheim are both great stories. I highly recommend. Also, I love your acts of kindness! <3
DeleteI always had this thing with my sister - she had a summer birthday and did get one party. mine is around thanksgiving and i never had one. Now that my children are grown (they got parties lol) i'm invited to dinner or we go out and there's always a cake and presents. We just had this happen twice while out shopping - I have lots of cats so that means lots of cat food and litter. We struggle getting them into our cart and others seem to be there to help. I always try to pass on the good will somehow. And happy, happy birthday!!
ReplyDeleteI love that people help you with the cat supplies. Those bags are heavy!
DeleteHappy birthday. My husband and I will pay for military lunch at the local gas station. They are always so surprised!
ReplyDeleteMy late husband was career military and I also live near a base. It feels good to do nice things for those who serve our country...and their families.
DeleteEnjoy your day! Eat all of your favorite treats!
ReplyDeleteWe are pretty low key for our birthday celebrations. I make a chocolate angel food cake with chocolate whipped cream frosting. Make a favorite dinner.
My husband and I don’t exchange gifts as we both hate to shop.
That cake sounds amazing!
DeleteWoohoo Another year around the 🌞
ReplyDeleteGrateful for every one of them.
DeleteHappy birthday, PJ! Birthdays are low-key affairs in my house, at least for the parents! My kids are in so many activities that we're usually out at the ballpark on my birthday :-)
ReplyDeleteI've celebrated a few birthdays at the ballpark. Not a bad place to be! :)
DeleteHappy Birthday
ReplyDeleteMy birthday this year was in August and I just had stomach surgery the week before. And I turned 60. We did a cake a week before the surgery.
I hope your sixties are as good to you as mine were to me.
DeleteHappy Birthday! Have a wonderful day! For my birthday we enjoy a small celebration at our house with the family. A special meal and a birthday cake. Every week I help someone by bringing them goodies and treats, books, and gifts. This gives me great pleasure. I have an older friend who appreciates receiving these unique and special goodies. Aside from their birthday too when I go overboard. I drop off to individuals and neighbors baked goods to cheer them up.
ReplyDeleteI also love to bake and share goodies with friends and neighbors. :)
DeleteHappy Happy Birthday to you PJ!! You are such an awesome person and so giving! I hope you have a wonderful day and an amazing year! I try every day to do one act of kindness, whether it's when I'm driving, helping someone unload their shopping cart or purchasing the food for the person behind me in the drive thru.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jody. I hope the same for you!
DeleteHappy Birthday to you! Hope it is the best one yet!
ReplyDeleteAs for my birthday we go low key, usually dinner at home or some times we go out - just my immediate family; my husband, daughters, SIL and grandson. It's nice not to have to cook sometimes.
Thank you!
Thanks! All these lovely birthday greetings are getting it off to a great start.
DeleteMy birthdays are pretty low keyed. I like spending them by going on a hike in the woods and enjoying the quiet and beauty of the world.
ReplyDeleteI love long walks.
DeleteWishing you all the best on your birthday, PJ!
ReplyDeleteBirthdays have been low-key events for me for a while. I collect my birthday wishes on Facebook and love receiving greeting cards, but no big celebrations. I was born on my mother's birthday and we used to make a point of celebrating together when she was alive.
Thanks, Laura. I was married on my mom's birthday. ;-)
DeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! I will sing softly so your ears don't bleed. I hope you have a lovely time today.
ReplyDeleteYes, things are not as lovely a gift as the time you share with family and friends. Or reading a book you love.
Yesterday I got a bouquet of flowers for a friend. She has helped me deal with some painful events recently and I wanted to let her know how much I appreciate her.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU ------AND MANY MORE
Thank you, Annette. Those unexpected surprises are wonderful no matter when they arrive. Like lovely notecards from a grateful reader. Your kindness has brought me many a smile.
DeleteHappy Birthday 🎈🎂
ReplyDeleteI usually buy my favorite dessert , Cheesecake and make Lasagna favorite dinner.
I often help the elderly at the gas pumps as I work for a gas station.
I bought flowers for my daughter the other day and some Halloween decorations. As she has her hands full with a new baby and Noah who is six and Autistic. She a great Mom and I like to remind her.
I hope you have a fantastic Birthday.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday 🎈🎂 I hope you have a wonderful day. My birthday is low key. I don't celebrate it much anymore. I either have to work or never have any money to do anything.
ReplyDeleteBut I make sure I remember everyone else birthday and anniversary even though nobody remembers mine.
I always looking out for other people trying make them smile or checking on them.
Tracy Friits
Happy birthday, PJ!!! I hope you have a fantastic day celebrating wonderful YOU. My birthday always involves being with family. Their loving presence on my birthday is the best gift. We usually go out to eat at a favorite restaurant.
ReplyDeleteLow key birthdays, here. Generally a nice dinner. Hope yours is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteHi & Happy happy Bday PJ! 🌟🎆🥳 📖
ReplyDeleteI like low key family time day… love my 3 lil grandgals! 🤗
Hello and happy happy birthday to you. I love to spend my special day with my children and my grandchildren. They always make me feel special no matter what. I try to do at least one act of kindness every single day. If people only understood how good it makes you and your heart feel, they would probably do more of it. Thank you, Mindy
ReplyDeleteOur birthday celebrations are pretty low key. Ray loves to have the kids around and chicken and dumplings. Me? Take me out to dinner with my kids and I'm a happy camper. I pay it forward whenever I can.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to everyone. No need to enter my name. Your friendship is gift enough for me! Happy birthday, my dear! LYG!
Happy Birthday! My birthday is generally low key. I prefer it that way. My children and grandchild will come over for a meal. Lately, I've done take outs rather than do all the work. It's more relaxing that way. For my parents' birthdays, August and September, I prepared a lunch to take to their home and have lunch with them. My mother loves flowers; so, I always take a bouquet. Their wish was for a gift certificate to a place they really like. So, that's what I gave them. Have a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteHAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY PJ!!! We tend to do more laid back birthday celebrations especially now that the kids are adults. We get together and have a family dinner and the birthday person gets to choose what we have. Since my birthday, my daughter's birthday, and her fiance's birthday are all in one month we combine our celebrations.
ReplyDeleteI try to be polite and hold doors for people and other little things. Today I held the door at a doctor's office and the gentleman acted as though no one had ever done that for him.
Forgot to put my name, Becki Wisner! Oops!
DeleteHappy Birthday - wishing an awesome day. We celebrate birthdays in my family by going out to dinner - birthday person gets to choose where.
ReplyDeleteHello and the HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS TO YOU!🎉🎉🎁🎂💗
ReplyDeleteI celebrate my birthday low key with my family and good friends. We get together and go to Red Lobster, my favorite restaurant. Then, we return to my home for cake made by my hubby. Thank you so much for this generous opportunity. 💗📖📚
Becki Wisner
DeleteI forgot my name. Post started Hello and the HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS TO BE. ETC....
I'm too old to have party's but my daughters get a cake and that's about it. LOL! Happy birthday
ReplyDeleteMy bday is low-key. I like to go to the beach in Lake Michigan since it’s in August. Recent act of kindness- someone paid for my milkshake at DA the other day! Such a nice surprise 😊 .
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! I usually spend my birthday pretty low key because it is right after the New Year and people are all partied out.
ReplyDeleteMy birthday is usually low key. Happy birthday PJ
ReplyDeleteMy birthday celebrations are usually pretty low key dinner out or dinner in with family and friends separately or together. Every once in a while it might go away for a long weekend or go to an event to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteAs far as acts kindness go, I'll sometimes purchase the food or drinks for the car behind me and a drive-thru line, or send somebody a gift card in one of their favorite food apps when they're having a tough time. Abby Jimenez has a book angel program in her Facebook group, I participated in that before too, or offered books in other groups every once in a while.
Happy Birthday! I will be celebrating in early October in just a few weeks. Usually, mine involves shopping and eating out. Then, at home we have a birthday cake and my twin sister and I open birthday presents. I look forward to spending the day with my twin.
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a wonderful birthday and have a great new year.
ReplyDeleteMy birthday is usually a low key affair. My husband and I will go out to dinner or cook a nice one here at home. If the children are in town or not really busy, we will have them over for the meal. We will share a birthday cake with them either that day or as close to it as we can. My husband and I have also been known to go away on a trip for our birthday and celebrate with just the two of us.
One thing we have done for twenty plus years is being Red Cross volunteers. We work with the Service To The Armed Forces and the Disaster program. My husband was career Air Force so we feel serving the veterans, active duty members, and their families is important. The help Red Cross can deliver to disaster victims is limited, but it is aimed at providing initial help and help planning to move forward to recovery. It breaks my heart every time we go to a house fire where a family has lost everything and doesn't have the means to replace what they lost. It happens way too often. Some times the most important thing you can do is just listen and give them a shoulder to cry on.
Thank you for sharing. It made me feel your kindness.
DeleteTes283. - Thank you
DeleteWishing you very happy celebrating, PJ! My favorite way to do so is with family and friends, in small groups with good food. Definitely low key rather than not, LOL! And some time to curl up with a good book!
ReplyDelete—flchen1
Hope you had a wonderful birthday, PJ! I try to ignore mine, and my family is used to me being a party-pooper. This year, however, my daughter, who lives on the other side of the country, flew home just for two days to surprise me. She hates to fly, so it was especially kind and generous of her, and it gave me the best birthday happiness I've had in years.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday. My Birthdays are mostly low key EXCEPT when I turned 60. I threw myself a great Birthday party at a great Mexican restaurant in my area. I hired a DJ, ate lots of great food and drank margaritas. Bought a great outfit. Tons of fun.
ReplyDeleteActs of kindness. Recently, I had been struggling for 2 days to get a poster made for a women's religious retreat I'm sponsoring in my parish. The two people helping me at our local Walgreens were unbelievably kind and so patient with me. I thanked them profusely when it was finally finished. Surprisingly, I never got flustered or impatient and I believe that was because they were so obliging and patient. Which goes to show that when we are patient and kind with others, the favor is returned.
Happy Birthday, PJ. My birthdays are low key and spent with family.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday and many happy returns.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, my hubby was working at a flower convention. After it ended the flowers were going to be thrown away. So he asked and called me to bring the van. I got to leave flowers at all the neighbors home along my street and still had plenty of flowers left to brighten up my home. it feels so good to share good fortune.
Hope you had a wonderful Day! Pretty low key day for me, but had calls from family & they sent me a Wegman's delivery which included the cutest little carrot cake.
ReplyDeleteLowkey, Awesome gift Linda Turner
ReplyDelete