There are a lot of different ways people celebrate their birthdays, some depending on what having birthdays mean to them, celebrate birthdays because they want to share their happiness, others celebrate because it gives them a reason to be with friends or to act foolish or to buy something for themselves without feeling guilty. While still others celebrate just for the heck of it or because they were pressured by their peers to throw a party or have a few drinks. Still others do special things on their birthdays like ask their loved ones to marry them or actually get married on their actual birthday. Others that I know of get a physical examination during their birthdays.
When I was a kid, I used to celebrate birthdays just because of ice cream, balloons and cake. The as I got older, I celebrated it because of the gifts. In my teens, it was a reason to have friends and cousins over at your place. But as I grew older, I became quite cynical about having birthdays. i would feel depressed about getting old and not to seem to accomplish anything and this was just right out of college and not some mid-life crisis thing. I would call it my birthday blues, it comes to me on my birth month and would last until after my birthday.
But things started to change when I got married and had kids, I was looking forward to birthdays specially that of my kids, I would take pictures and videos but always of the people attending the birthday celebrations and none of myself.
I had a big celebration when I hit forty. It was an accomplishment for me. I had what I wanted, good friends, a stable job and good health. Then I started evaluating my life after my 40th....using my birthday as a measuring stick. What have I done since my last birthday, have i done something worthwhile to improve my current situation. Sounds profound, but that's just me.
Well, to me now that I am 47, I see my birthday again as a different thing, I look at it as a blessing, a blessing that is given to me, a chance to live and do something about my life and do something for others. I have done and doing my part for my birthday this year, I have stopped smoking and have not smoked for the last 7 months and counting. I have also been brisk walking for the last month.
I thank God for yet another birthday, I thank him for the gift of life.
