Celebrating Birthdays
The advent of a new year of life is acknowledged by people in ways as different as the people themselves. Birthdays can be a source of joy, but also a cause of anxiety. When we turn six or thirteen, achieving another year feels like an accomplishment, while celebrations in honor of later years are often seen an unnecessary. But every year of life has brought with it new wisdom, learning experiences, and changes, making one's thirty-first year no less a milestone than one's thirtieth. Your birthday may come and go each year celebrated but not treasured, because you don't look forward to having to shoulder another year of age or can't muster up the enthusiasm for a sincere celebration. All birthdays, however, are important and can be a cause for joy, if you look upon them with a reflective eye and a mind toward the blessings the future will bring.
Birth is a miracle and, as such, celebrating the anniversary of a birth is natural and holds spiritual and psychological significance. Almost all cultures mark the anniversary of a person's birth, though the rituals and traditions differ. The profound meaning of birthdays is often cemented when we are young, and the day is imbued with fun by our parents. As we grow older, that meaning can change, and can sometimes become negative. We begin to associate birthdays with aging or what we have not yet accomplished. But a shift in perspective can revitalize birthdays as a reason for celebration. Celebrating a birthday acknowledges the progress you have made, the blessings you have received, and the goals you have achieved in the past twelve months. If you prefer to celebrate a birthday alone, you can use the time to reflect on your life, and how special it has been.
It isn't how you celebrate a birthday that imbues it with meaning, but the fact that you honor the coming of a new year of life as a positive event, brimming with new experiences to be had. An entire lifetime can pass in the blink of an eye, but every new birthday is a chance to give fresh tribute to that life.
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