My friends want me to have a birthday party for myself, but then I end up having to make the plans. I don’t want to do any work to enjoy my birthday. Instead, I’ll make E do it.

“Honey, if you want me to make the arrangements, I will,” he offered.
“Okay, go ahead.”
“Tell me who to invite.”
Assembling an invite list? Too much work.

I don’t want to be bothered with sending out invitations or organizing a bunch of people to come out at a specific time to a expensive dinner and celebrate me. I’d rather just text people at, say, 4PM, to meet me for after work drinks at a local bar. “Then, tell me who to text!” E said.

“Honey, just forget it,” I moped. I don’t know if it was the stress of having to plan a party, or the pressure of getting older. Either way, I had lost the desire to celebrate.

As I sulked, I made turkey burgers. They were easy, unlike planning my birthday gathering, and satisfying, unlike planning my birthday gathering. I wanted bacon to add some flavor, and I found this really tasty Stubbs Honey Pecan barbecue sauce that would pair with the bacon wonderfully. I added cilantro for a refreshing kick, to cut some of the sweetness of the sauce. I had lunch ready in 20 minutes, and E and I ate together on the balcony

Once I had some food in my system, I thought more rationally. “Okay honey, you can text a few people to come out for me.” He did, and the next day my six closest friends gathered at a bar for drinks. It was no fuss, not complicated and a fun time was had by all. Happy Birthday to me.

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