Birthday

‘Captain Courageous!’ yelled the small group gathered in the outdoor garden. Stacy surged forward into the crowd of her friends from the Starlight Children's Foundation. ‘The party is here!’ responded Stacy, immediately matching the new volume of the night. 

Captains Sparkles and Giggles, Sunshine and Silly were in the pub and living it up like only a group of professional attention seekers can. There was dancing on the tables, telling jokes on the dance floor and impromptu skits broke out in most bathrooms in the building. With enough Starlight Captains in one place a night out quickly ascends into a long running, real life performance piece in which volume and action competing for precedence.  

‘Elle’ girls mixed with Captains, family mixed with friends and Stacy stitched us all together with big smiles and more kisses on the cheek than there were cheeks to kiss. People posed for photos like models, danced like, well maybe models, and definitely drank more than they ate, like, well ok, like a dog might on a hot day. 

It all escalated until Stacy found a long umbrella in a corner and brought it to the dance floor. 

‘Hey, i’m going to do a routine for you.’ she blasted to the room and anyone who was listening. ‘Watch this!’

With the umbrella intermittently swinging around her head and then occupying the centre of Stacy’s broad swinging dance arc she ruled the dance floor. To Stacy there was no difference between people making a little space to watch her dance and people making a little space to avoid being hit by an umbrella. 

The point was people were making a little space, and into that space she poured her joy, enthusiasm and at times pretty fun dance moves. She pulled her friends into the act and the umbrella may have had the best populated dance card in the room. 

When security staff became involved in the interest of public safety, Stacy met them with charm and cheek. ‘Hi guys, its my birthday’. Smiling and swaying. With the umbrella proffered handle first, she had the last word with some wit and grace, ‘wanna dance?’

They didn’t, but Stacy didn’t mind. She partied her finest, calling all to her with love and energy. Stacy knew that her friends were a part of her life force and a great source of energy. She loved sharing her time and her spirit with a collection of fun friends and ‘little munchkins’ and this birthday was no different.