Yesterday was my birthday. Sitting in the empty banquet room of Taps at the hour in which I used to think that only old people ate so they could make it home in time for bed by seven, I realized my life has officially changed. Birthdays no longer consist of long weekends away, working on a much needed tan and spending way too much money on extravagant dinners. Birthdays now mean, putting Scarlett down for a nap, folding laundry, feeding, running errands and trying to squeeze in one last snooze before rushing out the door to shove some sort of food in our mouths, knowing that Scarlett’s world comes
crashing down promptly at seven o’clock. So there we sat, our little family of three, laughing, playing, sharing food and waiting till the clock struck seven. Our dinner ended with me shoveling fresh from the oven soufflé in my mouth, quieting Scarlett by walking out of the restaurant, gracefully avoiding our fear of dirty looks from fellow dinners and the unfair judgment that we are negligent parents, and leaving Chris with the bill. Sitting outside Taps with Scarlett playing on my lap was the perfect ending to the perfect birthday with the perfect realization that change can be a good thing.