It’s funny how you can hate a day. Since I was five, I’ve hated my birthday. I always secretly wanted it to turn out well, but every time I held out hope, something traumatic or disastrous would happen. It wasn’t until I met my husband that I allowed anyone to really celebrate my birthday- and even he was stunned to see how the day always ended in calamity.
That said, I’ve always made a big fuss over the birthdays of the people I love- especially my husband and our kids. On each of our girls’ birthdays, I’m reminded of the days they were born. Those are the most deeply meaningful moments of my life.
Our girls get the royal treatment for their birthday week (yes, I’m a crazy mommy who puts balloons in the hallway and streamers on their doors). So, when our eldest became old enough to understand when my birthday is, she wanted to celebrate me the way that I celebrate her and her sisters. She wanted to understand why it’s okay to celebrate daddy, our close family friends, and our family, but not me. It was kind of a rude awakening that I was celebrating the lives of the people I love, but I wasn’t honoring their desire to celebrate me.
We all mean something to someone. Our actions and inactions affect the people around us. Life is worth celebrating! It’s worth recognizing that the world would not be what it is without you in it. I’ve begun to look at my birthday as in a day that in the past, hurt and scarred me in a lot of ways, but without those scars and traumas, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. I may not have had such a keen desire to share positivity and acts of kindness, had I not experienced heartbreak. I wouldn’t be so focused on raising builders and not breakers, if I hadn’t been broken down.
So, here’s some homework. Whether it’s your birthday or not, take a moment to be grateful for your life. Celebrate that you have the ability to show love and be loved. In a world that’s hungry for love, positivity, encouragement and most of all, hope, I think the best thing we can do is celebrate life. Enjoy life. Be Kind. Build up the people around you, and recognize that a life well lived, and being your best, but forgiving yourself when you’re at your worst, is one of the best gifts you can every give yourself, and the people around you.
I was once told that you can change someone’s life by merely looking at it. If that is true, let’s be mindful about how we’re looking.