I am writing this a mere 38 minutes after midnight on 03 October 2018. Today is my birthday. I woke up at 2347 hrs and decided to get up to celebrate my birthday. I read a church magazine and realized at a quarter after midnight that I had just turned a year older. Do these things just happen, though? No, they do not. I have been 38 for the last year. I never really considered myself to be 37 years old, even though I like the number 37. Whenever someone would ask me how old I was, I would immediately think, “Well, I’m 38.” After a moment, I would think, “Wait a minute–no–I’m 37.” So I’m still 38. I may be 38 years old for the rest of my life. Who knows? I know the first year I was 38 was a wild year, though! Things began to fall into place in my life, too, in a very real way. Hopefully they will continue to do so as I proceed into my second year of being 38.
Birthdays are strange things. All of a sudden, one day, you are another year older. What happened to the other 364 and 1/4 days of the year? They do not count, evidently, as with most anniversaries that we celebrate. My doctor says of his birthday, “It’s the anniversary of the day of my birth.” He is completely correct in saying so, and I like that saying very much. A birthday is an anniversary. You are only physically born once, however long ago that was for you as an individual. Thank goodness your poor mother does not have to do that every year!
My point is that we should celebrate our birthdays every day. Highlight and write down the positive things about every day if you are able, or somehow record the significant good things that are happening in your life as they happen. Do not let the years slip by with the blessings unnoticed and underappreciated. Take note of them! You will enrich your life greatly by living a more present-oriented life instead of always looking ahead or looking back. By living in the present and taking note of the positive things, you will set yourself up for success and happiness at those times when you do look back and reminisce. There is a time for that, too, and that time should be made as positive as possible. Negative things happen, yes, but we do not have to dwell so much on those. They are enough trouble in and of themselves without us giving them extra attention in our lives. “Accentuate the positive,” my eternally optimistic mother says. I used to think that was silly. I do not think that anymore. I realized that my mother has been right the whole time on that point.
Today, on my birthday, I am going to go climbing with my climbing buddy Emily. I have looked forward to this all week! Her birthday was yesterday, so that makes it extra special! I am thankful for my climbing buddies. They keep me afloat during the good times and the bad times and all the times in between. This is going to be great! Updates pending…
CLIMBING 4 THE REST OF US 