I’ve been thinking a lot about birthdays lately (maybe because mine just passed) and I love them! My birthday, friends, family, complete strangers-I love to celebrate. Your birthday is the one day a year that is all about YOU! So often in our busy lives the focus is on everyone and everything else, it’s a time to have fun and feel special. It’s a time when it’s okay to be completely silly and frivolous and nobody questions it. To me, this is a great thing to look forward to - and it comes EVERY year. This is why it completely baffles me when I run into people who don’t want to celebrate or even acknowledge their birthdays.
So many of life’s important milestones are marked by age. Nothing is more important than a 1st birthday, the first cake, the first party. Then we have Sweet 16’s and driving, turning 18 and becoming an adult, and of course the big 2-1. Then it seems we start going by those 10 year increments (insert “over-the-hill” joke here) and the celebrating begins to wane. At some point though, I’ve noticed that it all turns around and age becomes a bragging right; 80 is a badge of honor.
At Regency Grand we take great pride in celebrating that special day with our residents! In addition to balloons and singing, our residents work with our Executive Chef to plan a special birthday meal. While we do get the occasional request for a specific favorite recipe or something from a particular restaurant, filet mignon and lobster are definitely the most popular meal items! Our Private Dining Room is also often in use for such special celebrations, as family and friends also want to partake in the festivities.
If steak and lobster isn’t quite what our resident is looking for we are also happy to help accommodate whatever their birthday wish might be! Of course, we’ve helped coordinate many a party, but one of my personal favorite celebrations was a lavish dessert bar set up by one of our families, with enough goodies for ALL of the residents and staff. But the event that takes the cake (no pun intended) was the 100th birthday celebration of a former resident, who loaded up our bus and headed to Hooters! He came back with a box of wings and a smile from ear to ear!
No matter what your age, never stop celebrating the gift of YOU to the world!
BIRTHDAY FUN FACT: Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest. ~Larry Lorenzoni
