It’s that one day in a year when people expect you to be in high spirits, overflowing with energy, appreciative of every single piece of anything that will be part of that one special day. It’s that one day in the year when you feel like you are the center of the universe and all the stars have aligned to say in a chorus how lucky and blessed you are to reach this one day in a year.
A first birthday is a miracle of life. For a naive 5-year old kid, a birthday is a party with cake and balloons and games and fun. For an awkward 13-year old, it is (probably) awkward to have a (kid’s) party. For a 17-year old, it’s time to have a legitimate party like the old ones. For a 24-year old, it makes you – well – old.
It is the day when you feel a tad older by a year than the self you really feel you are. It’s that one day in the year when you think about the change that should have happened or not within the last 365 days. LIFE CRISIS. You think about your bad decisions and think about the what-could-have-been-if thoughts that you suppress on non-Birthday days. You are reminded of every single person you need and don’t need in your life who is present or not. You think of goals that are out of reach. Your pocket is shouting with hunger. There is no real party.
But a birthday, most importantly, is a reminder of that wonderful God-given gift called Life. It is as celebratory as every single morning you wake up to live another day. You think about the transcendental meaning of your existence to the cascades and cycles of Mother Nature. You are humbled by the longevity that is the cosmos, and the Supreme Power that created it all.
And, you then feel thankful for the new lease of life that the same Power has given you. Happy Birthday, Self!
Demigod in Disguise 