Let me tell you something true: Every year, like clockwork, your birthday comes around. You have two options: dread it, or love it. I choose to love mine. Always.
I'm writing about this because my birthday is approaching, it's actually within the next couple of days. I think I view my birthday quite a bit differently than most of the people I know -- I LOVE IT. It is the one day of the year that is all about me. What's not to love?!
Your birthday, I believe, is really your first gift in the world. When you're born, your birthday is the first thing you have. It's instantaneous, and no one can take it from you. It happens, of course, by chance, but it is all yours. At this point, you're saying to me, "The world has so many people that nobody has just ONE day that they don't share with SOMEONE across the globe." I have a counterargument for that. People who share your birthday? Celebrate together! Share the joy that is the day marking the anniversary of your life.
I'm lucky enough to share a birthday month with my best friend, which is kind of perfect actually. Because when we turn 21, she'll only be 21 for two weeks and one day more than I will be. A few weeks ago, before her birthday, we were discussing how we felt about turning 19. We agreed it was BLAH. 19 is that awkward age where you're already 18, so you can't do anything new that you couldn't do at 18, like buy lottery tickets or go to a casino. You're not 20, so you're not out of your teen years just yet. And you're DEFINITELY not 21, so don't even think about it.
As her birthday came around, I found myself excited for her of course, because it's her birthday. It was her princess day, a day all about her, a day full of eating and gifts and love! And as always, as my birthday comes, I'm excited too. It's all about me. 1/365 is really a small fraction if you think about it, but it's enough of a fraction to be content with.
I know as I get older, birthdays will become more routine, I'll have had more of them, and perhaps they will slip through the cracks as being one of the best days of the year. But I hope not. I hope to cherish my birthday for as long as I live, and make sure my family members do the same!
No, 19 is not 21. I've still got 730+ days until I reach 21. But I'm enjoying 18. I'm sure I'll like 19. 20 will be great. And then 730 days will pass and I'll be 21, and probably angry that I'm getting so old.
Love your birthday because it's all about you. If you act like it's all about you all of the time, people just think you're selfish. Save all your selfishness for one day: your day of birth!
"18 'til I die"
