Treat your birthday like a national holiday.

Are you one of those people who treat your birthday like a national holiday? That’s me. I’m not saying you should do it, but in three days I’ll be 45. I’m married, and I have a daughter. What do you think I’ll do? Wait for my husband to acknowledge my birthday? He doesn’t have time for that; he’s a very busy man. My daughter is only 10—she just said, “Happy birthday, Mommy.” My mother will be 80 soon. She just called and said, “Happy birthday, honey.” My father is in heaven looking down upon me he will bless me from above. My siblings—by the way, I have four—are so busy that they might just send a quick message. Asked for my friend and other relatives, they are so busy that thanks to Facebook, they might see that it is my birthday and send a small message. Life is just another day to some, a special day to me.

So, it’s up to me: to love myself, to care for myself, to know that I matter to me.