Birthdays aren't what they used to be...

I turned 34 this past weekend. I had a lovely birthday. My parents took me out to dinner the night before. I got some nice gifts. I went to see "Wicked" on my birthday with two cool ladies and then that evening I went out to dinner with my husband. I felt celebrated. However, none of that can hold a candle to the way I used to feel and experience my birthdays when I was younger...and by younger I mean between the ages of 6 and 18. In those days, birthdays were full of pomp and excitement and treasures. The truth is that I'm not certain that the actual mechanics of my birthdays are all that different. There is still usually some small gathering of people who are important to me, there's usually a decadent dessert and the presents are by far more decadent now than they were then. So, why aren't they the same? I guess it's simple. It's something that I've wrote about on here before. As we age we tend to lose the wonder and joy that is so easily attached to things when we are young. Why is that? I WANT THAT BACK! Is there really any good reason why I shouldn't feel as excited about my birthday this year as I did when was 10? I think I'll aim for that next year...or maybe even a little bit of that in every day life starting today.