The Human Sparkler

I like friends who like birthdays (and this means that if I was my own friend, I would like myself). My roommate Jen LOVES birthdays, especially her own. Yesterday Karina and I sent her on a scavenger hunt around the house to hunt for her present – and it might be the most fun I’ve had in recent days. Jen is a human sparkler…she glistens and pops and makes you smile. And she doesn’t care if you want her to sparkle or not, she just does. She doesn’t care if you want a hug or not, she gives you one. She’s effervescent, like a Sprite or an Alka-Seltzer. She has a great laugh. She hates feet on feet and she loves hummus and feasts in the mid-afternoon. Her birthday scavenger hunt yesterday consisted of her running from the kitchen to her room, from her room to the freezer in the kitchen, from the freezer to the dryer in the basement, from the dryer to the mailbox outside, and then from the mailbox back to the kitchen. Her first clue was a kiddie diary with a lock and no key. The whole hunt made her look for the key so she could open the dairy and find her real birthday present. While this might all sound ok and ho-hum to some, Jen shrieked and panicked and ran like a mad woman through the house looking for her diary key. And that’s why I like Jen. And her birthday.
So, Happy Birthday my friend Jen. There is none other like you. And I like that.