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Thank You, God, For Another Trip Around the Sun
It’s my birthday, May 22. My favorite day of the year. In fact, I think it should be a national holiday. I used to wonder if I was the only person who dreaded getting older, but loved my birthday. I was assured that this is normal.
Each year I sit down to write a birthday reflection, or rather, a reflection on getting older. I never publish them because they feel a bit too personal.
If you don’t die, you will get older, each year. Each day. That’s all of us.
Society teaches us that this is a bad thing, but I firmly believe that it is not.
A couple years ago, I didn’t feel this way. I even wrote, and briefly published a story titled, Who Are We If We Aren’t Young? I took it down not long afterwards, and it only got a few views anyway.
It was a story lamenting your newfound place in society when you’re no longer considered “young,” whatever that age may be for you.
However, this year, leading up to my birthday I didn’t feel that usual sense of dread. I felt nothing but thankfulness and gratitude, and I finally understood the saying, another trip around the sun. That’s what God has granted me, and I am grateful for it. I’m also going to make the most out of it. I used to look forward to my birthdays so that I could be doted on and given gifts. I now understand what it means to be simply thankful for seeing another year.
So, what changed? I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s a combination of things. A few people who are my age, or close to it, have died within the past year. Death isn’t just for the old, but its shocking to see people who are relatively young pass away. It’s unexpected. Also, there’s the COVID pandemic, and over a million Americans have died from the virus…
But honestly, my views on life are evolving…
This is the serenity prayer. It’s a prayer my mother always says to me. I’ve always understood it, but I really understand it now.
