Birthdays are more than just a yearly celebration; they are the markers of our personal evolution and repositories of cherished memories.
I am inviting you to embark on a sentimental journey that traverses the landscapes of memory and tradition. By sharing my own experiences of my recent birthday celebration, it is my intention to not only show you how I reconnected with my past but also to highlight the importance of finding ways that you can do this for yourself throughout the year.
Every year brings a new chapter to our lives, and each birthday is a reflection of the passage of time. For me, birthdays without my parents have taken on a new dimension. I am using this year to more intentionally delve into my childhood memories, rekindling the joys of family gatherings, childhood parties, and the simple pleasure of family traditions like the 'Van Choc Straw”' ice cream.
The act of reminiscing is akin to a form of time travel that allows us to reconnect with those who are no longer with us, reigniting the emotions of past celebrations.
And after the joy I felt from this whole experience, I am planning to continue to find ways to bring these memories to life and bring those people that I miss into my present. Through mining the stories of those past celebrations , I am reliving the memories, feeling the senses, and remembering the items that really bring them to life.
So what was the process I took as I celebrated my recent birthday?
How can you take this into consideration when celebrating your own birthday or other family traditions and holidays?
Connecting Past & Present Celebration Process
Step 1
First I asked myself this question:
How can I bridge the past and present and bring my memories and traditions from the past to life now? How can I honor my loved ones no longer with me, and show that they were here, and that my memories really happened?
Step 2
In this step I began the reminiscing process of birthdays from my past.
It is important to give yourself the right time and space to linger in memories. Feel the feelings. Sadness and grief are expected. For me the sadness is the price I pay for never forgetting.
Step 3
I interviewed others who would have their own memories.
Even though my parents are no longer with me, each year on my birthday my uncle shares his memories of when he heard I was born. It brings back excitement for us both. I feel so loved that this memory is something he cherishes and am always struck by how much having a first niece meant to him. This is one of my favorite birthday gifts each year!
Step 4
I looked through any pictures I could find of birthdays past.
I had a small photo album I found in a drawer that had several pictures of childhood birthday parties, bringing me right back to my dining room with the paper table cloth and decorated cake, to my floral wallpapered bedroom and pink pjs making goofy poses with friends. These pictures may not show all of my birthdays, but they brought back special friends I had lost touch with and reminded me of the feelings from those crazy slumber party nights.
Step 5
I did some research and googled some memories.
This led me down the path of recipes for favorite cakes and looking up vintage cake decor from the 70s and 80s. It was crazy to find the visual proof of cake toppers and birthday decorations I had not seen for decades. The feelings rushed right back in. And this led to the purchase of 2 dozen pink and blue birthday ballerina cake decorations.
Outcome
What was the outcome of this trip down memory lane?
A birthday that truly brought my past to life in the present - that allowed me to be playful and creative in ways I had not been in a long time.
I celebrated my birthday with a friend on a girls’ weekend away - AKA grown women’s slumber party - and those 2 dozen ballerinas showered restaurants, rest rooms, gift shops, and new friends from Friday to Monday.
We had so much fun!
I also now have many more stories ready to be written, and more vibrant details to support them. And, most of all I was able to feel all of the feelings as if they had just happened yesterday. I was able to prove that my past existed and honor it all with creativity and joy!
If you’d like to hear more about this process checkout the latest episode of The Preserve Your Past Podcast here!
Add as promised here are some of the images I spoke of in this podcast episode as well as this blog post:
Related Podcast Episode
Looking for more writing support?
Join like-minded people, collect your memories of special moments and loved ones, and get your stories down on paper for your future generations in the Preserve Your Past Facebook Group.
Check out my book Bridging Your Past and Future: The Top 10 Items to Include When Documenting Your Personal History.