As we get older, many people refuse to celebrate their birthdays. I’ve heard so many people say, “it’s just another day”. But is it really just another day? I don’t think so. I think every birthday should be celebrated to the absolute fullest—because we are ALIVE. Every year that you GET to turn older, is another year lived. Celebrate that! Celebrate life, for life itself. I think the negativity toward birthdays as we get older is rooted in a loss of purpose and dreams not pursued. Are we really afraid of aging or are we just afraid of not really LIVING? Our birthday reminds us all that time on Earth is finite. Are we spending it how we really want to? Birthdays may signal to us that we are still not doing “that thing” that we really want to do. Tomorrow is not promised, and your next birthday isn’t promised. Live your best life NOW. Pursue your dreams NOW. Be honest with yourself about your purpose and what sets your soul on fire. You are the author of your life’s story. While you may not always be able to orchestrate every outcome—you’re the narrator. Own that!
My twenties are flying by and I am officially now 29. One year before I turn 30 and enter a whole new decade. Honestly, it feels weird and it doesn’t feel like I should already be 29. It feels like a moment ago I was 24, blinked, and now here we are with 30 in sight. I am someone who has had a tough time wrestling with aging—more or less life going by. I remember vividly when I turned 21. I was satisfied. I had “made it” to adulthood and I was perfectly content staying right there. I had no desire to age past 21, to me 21 felt like the perfect age. Now I realize all of the LIFE I have lived between then and now. All of the ways I have grown, evolved, changed, and molded into an entirely different version of myself, one that 21 year old me wouldn’t recognize. I will honestly say that pondering over turning 29 felt a little upsetting to me, like I just want to grab hold of my twenties and hang on for dear life. Until something recently happened—that made me recognize the significance and necessary celebration of ALL birthdays.
Someone near my hometown, my husband’s best friend in high school—abruptly lost his sister. This was devastating news. She was 28, and left this Earth a few days before she would turn 29. She never got to see 29. But I do. So why again, would I have a hard time greeting 29 with open arms? It is worth repeating—no future birthdays for any of us are guaranteed. We MUST appreciate our life. We must LIVE it to the fullest, and we must FEARLESSLY pursue our purpose. This sudden loss near my hometown has impacted me—it’s had me thinking, what if that was me?
We don’t know how many years or decades we will be gifted on this Earth. That’s such a hard thing to wrestle with. I’ve become so passionate about really spending my time in the way that is best for me, really taking care of myself, and really taking the time to do what I want to do. I have art to share with the world—my words, and coming soon a BOOK. I must not only do this for you, but I must do this for myself. Life will keep going by, faster even it seems as we grow older. We can’t do anything about the passing of time, but we can make dang good use of our time.
I am so very grateful for this life that I live—for all of the imperfect moments, the hard seasons, and even the darkest times. Everything has led me here, to the Demie I am today.