Birthdays have always been a really special day in my perspective. It is the one day of the year dedicated exclusively to celebrating you and the fact that you exist. I have always cherished my birthdays especially because the years seem to fly by so quickly.
It’s a good time to reflect on how far you have come. It’s also a time to set forth intentions for a new year of living. What can you work on? How do you want to spend your time? What mistakes can you learn from? It’s a time to reassess and realize the things you know, now that you are a little bit older and (hopefully) wiser.
Is it another day?
Some people treat their birthdays like it’s just another day. I have had coworkers and friends tell me they either worked or did absolutely nothing on their birthday. Sometimes I found it heartbreaking, You exist. I want to say, You’re here, and you’re alive, and we get to be involved in this great miracle called life and it’s just another day?
It deeply puzzled me. However, sometimes they truly seemed happy with the way they spent their day. To them, they celebrate the fact that they exist by being present and doing the things they would normally do anyways.
From my little sister Marissa’s 15th birthday party
But why not treat yourself in some way? Your birthday only comes once a year. It is the only time where you can truly feel special and no one can say anything about it. You don’t have to feel guilty over allowing yourself to give and receive (to yourself).
The memories that you will share are reason enough to go out and do something. Whether it is going to a place you have wanted to visit for the longest time, trying something new, or watching that movie you’ve been meaning to watch. The ideas are endless.
Life isn’t short, our time is
Who knows how long our time here is. It’s important to find joy in the fact that we made it another day. We got to wake up in the morning and experience life all over again. These are mini blessings that we take for granted.
Our birthdays are a time to practice reflection, to practice gratitude, to celebrate another year come and gone and the wish to experience many more after. It is also a time for the people around you to appreciate you and spend time with you. As someone who is big on giving hand written cards for birthdays, I find it the perfect opportunity to go into detail about how much the person is appreciated and loved.
My sister Angie celebrating her dog’s 1st birthday with a dog edible cake
As an aside, my birthday is coming up (the reason for this week’s topic), and I have been feeling really reflective about my life so far. I find myself happy about certain milestones. I find motivation to continue to make more progress to my own personal goals.
I am happy to get to reach another year. For some people my age (especially women), turning older seems like a scary thing. I can understand why to some extent. However, getting older is the natural course of the world and there should be nothing scary about it!
Each year is a new stage
There will be moments as you get older where your priorities will shift. A lot of ego deaths as well. The things that seemed to matter to you so much when you were younger don’t seem to be that important any more.
You find interesting new desires and things you would rather accomplish and your purpose becomes sharper. Getting older isn’t scary. It is enlightening. You get to experience for the first time adulthood. Something that was so mysterious to you as a child becomes fun and exciting as you age.
Balloons from my 29th birthday
It also helps when you are surrounded by older women in your life who seem to age so gracefully. You realize you can only get better from here on out, and that’s the secret to birthdays. Birthdays are a signifier of accomplishing and completely another stage of life.
So for those thinking of not doing anything this year or the next, I implore you to at least try doing something for yourself. At least once. You are too important and your presence matters to everyone around you. Walk with pride in being part of this amazing experience of living and changing.