Birthdays Are A Bigger Deal Than You Think
If you are ever in the position where you possess the ability to make a big deal out of someone’s birthday, DO IT! Ignore them when they try to tell you that it’s just another day, because their birthday isn’t like any of the other days of the year. Their birthday is a celebration of their continued existence. It isn’t just the mark of completion of another treacherous trip around the sun. It is one of the 365 days where they should feel loved, seen, and especially appreciated.
To celebrate someone’s birthday is to acknowledge every time that they stubbed their baby toe in the process of getting themselves right here, right now. It is counting every blessing that they have ever bestowed upon anyone who has ever crossed their path. It is holding up a mirror and reflecting some of their light right back on to them, just in case they forgot how beautiful and powerful they are, especially in the darkness. To celebrate someone’s birthday is to honor their determination to get out of bed on the days when they didn’t want to. It is acknowledging their strength and their willpower to keep fighting.
Some people just exist by habit, they don’t even have to think about it. They walk and talk, breathe in and out, and one day, they have gray hair. They aren’t sure where the time went or how they got there, but they are thankful that they did. Others have to consciously make an effort to stay. They calculate every step, every breath, every word, every moment. They feel everything, even when they wish that they didn’t. They make promises to themselves to just get through one more night, one more week, or one more year. The problem is, you never know who is who. While the calendar may be a blessing to some, it is a battlefield to others. You never know who struggles with their birthday or memories that may be associated with it. So, give the loved ones in your life good memories to hold on to. Celebrate them and the fact that they have continuously chosen to stay.
Celebrate the fact that the Universe let them.
© Gina Clingan 2022
Originally published on Collective World