Birthday Girl

It was my gal's birthday today. I'm not too sure how old she is - so I daren't hazard a guess. And we didn't make too much of a fuss, cos it was a working day, and we've hardly had a minute's peace since Monday morning (don't ask!) but it's still a special day.

She looks about 32, 33 and acts about 16. Yet sometimes, when she goes off on one about the state of the world today I'm always struck by the wisdom she's got under that nonchalant couldn't-give-a-flying-v exterior.

To me that's what's important in a girlfriend. The element of surprise.

You can have a girlfriend who looks like Hurley and moves like Britney and thinks like Aristotle, but if she's predictable she's going to last as long as a disco lightstick. This is not standing up for these contrary bitches who will stand there and argue that black is white and day is night (you know who you are, girls!) - I'm on about being made to feel good in a different way on a very regular basis.

Now this is a rare thing, as rare as gold.

And there's another thing to add to this rare-as-gold mix, and that is happiness.

There is nothing as attractive as a happy person - I'm not on about prozac happy, or just-won-the-lottery happy, but someone who is at home in herself, and enjoying life whatever happens. Thinking the best of people, being a part of her surroundings and generally feeling groovy whatever shit is flying. Some people call that "cool".

Some days I wake up and feel so damn lucky. Somehow I woke up and the sun was out, the sky was blue, I said the right things and I was suddenly the king of the universe. It was the natural order of things. This girl walked into my life and everything was wonderful.

But there are other days I realize that I participate in the happiness, that its not just happened to me by accident. I look as my gal in the middle of an intense argument about - say - the Ferrari dominance of Formula 1 and feel that I'm the right guy for this woman, that we work together well and we create that happiness every day by being interested in each other and fascinated by the difference of opinion.

Today I celebrate that fact that my gal is here with me, that she was born and grew up to be the person she is. I couldn't do it with fancy jewelry, or grand gestures like a Porsche parked out front with a big ribbon on it. I'm working on that for a future moment, to be decided.

She told me today that one of her birthday rituals is always telling her mother "Thank for having me". Explaining why she said "That's easy - I just sat back and was just born. It was my mum that did the hard work". So this birthday is about a lot of things. Her mum and dad, her upbringing, her being given love by all kinds of different people, her growing and learning, and experiencing, and laughing and growing into this amazing person that I'm hanging out with.

I love my gal for simply being herself.

Tonight we got a pizza in, popped the cork of a good red wine and celebrated.

I'm still not sure how old she is.

But who's counting.

Blogga.