Reflections of a Thirty-Six-Year-Old

Today marks the 36th anniversary of my birthday, and I put it that way for a number of reasons. I admit the underlying reason is most-likely due to my attendance at a workshop a few days ago, where I was introduced to some ideas on conflict resolution. The instructor was in the midst of a discussion on verbal cues and voice inflections, and how we often hear something different than what the person speaking to us actually intended on saying. To make his argument, he asked us five separate questions and we were to write our answers on paper. One of the questions was, "How many birthdays does the average human being have?" We tend to focus on the word 'average' in the above sentence, and then proceed to write our best, scientific and/or biological guess pertaining the average human lifespan. The answer? One. Humans only have one actual birthday, then we often celebrate the annual anniversary of that birthday. Hard to argue with such logic.

As this day approached over the course of the last few weeks, my wife and family asked me several times how I wanted to celebrate. My immediate reaction was to tell them I wasn't interested in celebrating, per se. I didn't really need any reminders that I am another year older, and I certainly didn't need and/or want to celebrate that fact with a lot of attention and unnecessary hoopla. As I arose this morning for my usual run, however, a thought occurred to me. Maybe I should celebrate. Maybe I should thank God for blessing me with another year of existence. Maybe I should greet this day with a celebratory attitude, and reflect a bit on this thirty-six-year-old life. After all, it's been quite the ride thus far, and while we are never guaranteed anything, all of the forthcoming events in my future and that of my family makes things look quite peachy.

So, as the dogs and I approached the end of the driveway to begin our morning trot, I lifted my face to the sky and silently prayed something of the following:

'Thank you, God, for this day. Thank you for the blessing of my thirty-six years. Thank you for providing me with a life-partner who keeps me grounded and completes me. Thank you for my kids who keep me young, make me laugh, and help me see the immense beauty in the tiny things. Thank you for my amazing family, both immediate and extended. Thank you for the blessing of friends with whom to share life-experiences. Thank you for the sunrise this morning, and the serenade of the birds. Thank you for the basics: a home, nourishment, and health. Thank you for the prospects of a bright future. Yes, Lord, thank you for this day and a thirty-sixth anniversary celebration of my birthday. Amen.'

Finally, another realization hit me square in the face early on this morning. It dawned on me just how much I enjoy recognizing and celebrating others' birthday anniversaries. Maybe I ought to think about that whilst my family and friends desire to recognize me on this day. Maybe I ought to quit being such a grump about it, and live in the moment. Thus, my resolve for today is to welcome the good wishes of others, and appreciate this thirty-six-year-anniversary-of-my-birthday.......aw, screw it - it's a birthday, for Pete's sake!