September Birthdays

Well, today is the first of September and the beginning of a month llena (full) of birthdays for me. Is it like that for you too? Or is it just my family that consistently gets knocked up around New Years?

Maybe it's not a matter of getting knocked up. Maybe responsible married adults get excited at the beginning of the year and are full of so much love that they decide to bring another into the mix. I mean, people do that, right?

Well whatever is in the air, my family caught it and that calls for CELEBRATION! Except if you're a Strawn (because they're boring and conservative) and if you're from the comarca (indian reservation) (like my better half, because they're poor and birthdays are about the last thing they are going to save money for to celebrate). So where does that leave me? I can't let all these cherished persons pass their day of birth without some sort of special acknowledgment. I'm Mary Beth for heaven's sake. It just wouldn't be natural.

Now, it would be a lie of I told you money wasn't an issue for me. After all, I am a Peace Corps volunteer. We are poor. It would also be a lie if I told you that all of these birthday-holders lived close to me. Some don't even live in the same country. Well shit.

So I'm going to have to pull out my handy dandy creative thinking skills (they sure don't teach you those in Panamanian schools!). Instead of buying a cake for one birthday-holder, maybe I'll buy one to be shared among four birthday-holders. Instead of throwing confetti and balloons on one surprised birthday-holder, three will get showered in sparkles. Instead of singing happy birthday to one special birthday holder, two will receive the happy wishes over Skype. It's never too late to learn how to share.

But let me tell you something really sad. It's the truth that here, in poverty, they don't celebrate birthdays. It's not because they don't want to or they don't care or their religion is against it. It's because they can't. They have between 4 and 8 kids. They barely live off welfare. There are no other sources of income in our community for the women, actual or potential.

But you know what I've seen a few of them do? Turn ordinary things into something special for their children on their birthdays. They'll save that special day to eat rice and hot dogs instead of the next day. They'll let them get dressed in a special dress usually reserved for church. They'll make a special chagra (shoulder bag) to carry stones for their child's slingshot.

Isn't that really what a birthday is? An extra dose of special to remind that person that they are loved and wanted. Life beats us up and these reminders are key. It's not really necessary to go full tilt and celebrate a birthday-week or spend $500 on a new electronic or even $50 on a nice dinner. Be wary of how you throw around your money. What are you trying to say that you can't say with your lips?

So while I'm at it, I want to make a famous (smile you're on camera!) birthday shout-out to all of my friends and family cumpliendo in September: Mom, Dad, Oduber, Choncho, Chupi, Olmedo, Luna, Lili, Doli, Edelkis, Negrito, Chicki, Chichi Feo, Manchu, Pipi. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! YOU ARE LOVED!

Mom and Dad

Oduber and his brother Olmedo

Negrito (Samir)

Pipi (Yuli)

Doli (Audrey)