Today I turned 25 years old. To be honest I don’t feel 25, but then again what I thougt of 25 when I was a kid was totally different than what it actually is.
I remember being a little kid and hearing people who “are in their mid 20s” or “graduated from college” and thinking “man, that’s gonna be craaaaaaazy when I’m that old!”. Well here I am, and luckily I can tell you it’s not crazy, just complicated. I sometimes wish I could go back to those days where you didn’t have bills, work, etc…But then I think about school and homework and realize I put in just as much work as I do now in what I do, which makes me who I am today. I had just as much stress getting a school project in on time as I did getting in a work project done in time. I’ve been working since day one.
Call me odd but for some odd reason I closely relate birthdays to…funerals. During a funeral, people usually mourn the loss of a loved one, and guaranteed sometime throughout you will hear the phrase, “let us not remember how they died…let us remember how they lived”. It is very true that you should remember how a person lived, but you should also look around at those who you love and who love you and be thankful that they exist on this planet today. Funerals remember the day of death, a birthday is to remember the day of life.
During my birthday countless people wished me a happy birthday and it felt good, and it made me remember to give thanks to all those who are part of my life. Sometimes we take it for granted the presence of someone in our lives, only to wish we could have them back after they’re gone. If you know me and are reading this, you probably know that I don’t really have any enemies, I try to get along with everyone. The reason is, life is too short to hate. Life is too short for bickering and nonsense. I would never want the situation to arise where I got into an argument with someone and then something tragic happened to them. I would feel guilty with myself forever because I know that that is not how I truly felt. Next time you’re in an argument with someone think about if they were out of you’re life the next day, and you’ll probably end up reconciling with that person.
Next time you have a birthday to go to, really think about that person and why you’re there. You’re not there to drink, you’re not there for the free food, you’re there to celebrate their life and their existence. And if you are the birthday recipient, enjoy those who wish you well and never take for granted the ones in your life. For when the time of death comes, you can say, “let us not remember how they died…let us remember how they lived…just like we did while they were living”
Peace.