My birthday is this month, which means I’m celebrating it all month long. The rules are simple: anything I attend, do, or start is in honor of my birthday regardless of whether anyone else knows. I know, and that’s the important thing.

While I, of course, would love to receive new books and shoes and a set of new Faber-Castell pens and possibly a bouquet of unicorns, I’m actually doing and requesting something else for my birthday. I’m giving it up to charity:water. I became interested in the concept when Michael Schechter donated his birthday and was so fascinated by the idea and impressed with charity:water’s entire process that I decided I would donate mine, too.

The decision partially was inspired by those things; the other inspiration is that I do have enough and other people don’t. Why not sacrifice something or let my birthday become something more than the marking of another year older? Then, too, my age carries a bit more weight this year. I’ll be the exact same age my mom was when she had me. The reality of that makes me pause a little longer and consider what I’m doing with my life and what I want it to stand for as I move forward.

With all that said, I hope you’ll join in the month-long birthday celebration.