A Birthday Perspective

Dang, I have a birthday looming in two days.

Nah, that’s not something I would say.

I am fortunate to celebrate another year of life in two days. There…that’s better.

birthday candle

Why are birthdays seen in a negative light?

Is it because we carry an unfulfilled life on our shoulders? Or perhaps it’s because each year we get that much older, unstoppably aging against our wills.

I’ve gotta say, a smattering of grey hairs and wrinkles sprouted up somewhere around the turn of a notable decade of my life.

I’m not going to lie. I was a little shaken with grey hairs at thirty. Then I realized it’s probably a common development but most women color their hair, making them oblivious to this colorless discovery.

At first I plucked them. And, to avoid further wrinkles, I attempted to not be as animated – forcing a half-smile when delighted and scolding my perky eyebrows when surprised.

But damnit…if I want to smile my ever-loving ass off, I’m gonna!

Of course it can be difficult to age, especially as women. Our society encourages eternal youth and unattainable perfection.

Yet, we all go down the same inevitable road. No matter how many expensive hair colors or night creams we entertain – we all have birthdays, we all age.

birthday

What if we look at birthdays this way…we’re not older than we were a year ago, we simply lived more.

I really like the way that sounds, don’t you?

Ah, the hell with it! I don’t care if I now have to buy two boxes of birthday candles since they usually come in packs of twenty-four.

I will not hide from this birthday or any thereafter. I am honored to be here another year, to enjoy more beauty and love.

I embrace my grey hairs because they represent incredible accomplishments and tribulations.

I embrace my wrinkles because they represent years of laughter and tears.

I embrace my birthday because it is symbolic of the joys of life – and that my dear friends is always a reason to celebrate.

35 thoughts on “A Birthday Perspective”

  1. I think it’s (some) women that get worried and concerned. Blokes generally don’t, and personally I couldn’t give a monkey’s.
    But without a date women age much more beautifully these days. I have an Irish friend who is now 57 and is lovelier than she was at 20.
    So have a great day Britt!

    1. I agree…some women more than others, that’s for sure! It’s that healthy “some” that I try to encourage to stop giving a rats ass. Because my dad raised me, I’m lucky to have a solid balance, more of a bloke mentality if you will.

      Thank you for sharing your awesome insight, as always, Mr. Roy. : )

  2. I agree, I think birthdays are truly a cause for celebration. I’ve lost some dear friends and so I appreciate each year that I have. And I feel that life somehow gets better with age because while my body is getting a little worn out with use 🙂 I know myself well now so I’m happier with each year too.

    Have a wonderful birthday, Britt!!!

    1. Birthdays are absolutely a reason to celebrate – they represent a milestone, really…another year of living is a wonderful thing. I am with you on feeling happier with each year as well. Some people want to go back to their early twenties…nah, I’ll pass. : )

      Thank you for the birthday wishes, lovely Letizia! Have a fab weekend.

  3. I don’t understand people who dislike birthdays. In a recent discussion with someone, they said that we should weep on our birthdays because we’re a year closer to death, and I could just stare at them in shock. I mean, if anything, one should enjoy the company of others on this day and be grateful that they’re still around. Also, it certainly doesn’t hurt if cake and gifts are present. 😉

    Happy birthday in advance, Britt! I hope it’s fantastic. =D

    1. I’m totally with you on that! There is this huge stigma with aging and death, but they are simply both part of life. I agree that we should be grateful and share each savory moment with good company.

      Thanks for the bday wishes, friend! : )

  4. I have a Guild guitar that my wife bought me before you were born. I’ve taken good care of it, so with a little polish, it’s still beautiful to look at. The wood of the sounding board is aged to perfection. The tones it produces are so rich with harmonics that my son-in-law can’t resist picking it up and playing it when he and my daughter visit.

    It is… like you, Britt… and like all of us… “fearfully and wonderfully made”. It gets better every day.

    1. First of all, you win the award for “most poetic comment” on A Physical Perspective. So, congrats…here’s your imaginary, virtual gold star. : )

      “Fearfully and wonderfully made” is so beautifully true. Thank you for the compliment, Tim.

      1. I’m gonna walk around with that gold star stuck on my forehead all day.

        The “fearfully and wonderfully made” is from the Psalms. I’m not a big Bible reader, but I’ve always liked the Psalms… that little quote in particular.

  11. My Hubby tells me “I improve with age”. Yeppers. Just like a fine wine! And!! My Hubby also says, “Age gracefully”, he still thinks I am hot. lol .So I will run with that, literally. Happy Birthday Britt. Your Awesome!! hugs… Renee 🙂

  12. Happy Birthday, Britt!

    You know, a few years ago a friend of mine shared some kind of sentiment about not worrying about how perfect our bodies look anymore. She said she wanted to slide into her finish line as though it’s home plate — bruised up, scabbed, wrinkled, fat, and showing that she’d lived a good life. My body will definitely tell its stories, and I accept that.

Speak your beautiful mind

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.