The years of transition

I'm sure many people not much older than me can look back at this point in their life. The point when things are starting to go well for you and you have the ability to do things you've never been able to do before. But there's a disparity between your past and future.

I'm not rich. Nor is Boyfriend Jon my sugar daddy by any means. But events, bills, credit cards and other such expenses have finally settled down into a do-able level which even leaves me a tiny little extra to enjoy life with. I've worked hard to arrive at this point and look forward to the continuing expedition.

My birthday is coming up. And with it I was hoping to do some things I've never done before. Granted my first choices were things like Zip Lines and White Water Rafting. But logistics and demographics have put the instant kibosh on that. I pretty much don't drink...so bar hopping is out. Which leaves me with three things. I love my friends, I love to eat, and I love to laugh. So I started looking up local comedy acts. And a great comedian is playing nearby on the day and days surrounding my birthday.

But here is what brings me to my problem. I seem to sit in the middle of two kinds of friends. I've gathered a new category of friends. The friends who are out of college, gainfully employed, and have the ability to drop 35$ on tickets for a friend's birthday. Then I have the friends who are still in college, and 35$ means the difference between groceries for the week and some fun. People whom I love and would feel horribly guilty about asking them to make that choice just because it's my birthday.

I don't want to divide my friends into the haves and have nots. And I certainly don't want to make people choose between needs and wants. So how do i surround myself with all the wonderful people who have been there for me at my lows, highs and everything in between ....and still get to experience new things in celebration of surviving another crazy year?

Is it better to play it cheap and do something that everyone can participate in or to "do what I want on my birthday" because it's the one day where it would be socially acceptable to be a little selfish?

....is there a way for that to NOT sound completely selfish? Uhg.