In the summer of 2024, I took a Danube River Cruise. It was a tremendous experience, and I was able to see parts of Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany. Each day held a new adventure. In the evenings, I loved returning to my cabin and receiving the next day’s itinerary. It usually included walking tours in different cities, the quiet beauty of drifting down the river, decadent meals, and a variety of evening activities.
When I came home from that trip, my days were far more mundane. I re-entered a rhythm of housecleaning, trips to the grocery store, and full workweeks. No longer did most dinners include wine and dessert.
And yet, I do think I kept something from that experience — a sense of dailyness, that is, an internal orientation that each day could still hold something unique. I stayed open to discovery.
Birthdays can be like that, too.
Yesterday, I had one of the best birthdays of my life. Over the last ten days, I’ve been visiting loved ones in San Antonio, and my birthday itself included a pedicure, lunch at a French restaurant, a river barge cruise along the San Antonio Riverwalk, and an unhinged e-bike ride (which is what we call our especially long rides). And throughout the day, I heard from people I love in phone calls, texts, and social media messages.
Like the Danube Cruise, not every day can be a birthday. But days like this remind me of the kinds of days I want to cultivate more often —
days when people are centered and cherished more than tasks,
days when life feels purposeful simply because we feel connected, and
days when we sense love and know we can share it beyond ourselves.
So here’s to 44.
And here’s to a whole lot of un-birthdays that keep prioritizing these things, too.
— Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 