Birthdays: What are They Good for?

  birthday cake-abrazee

I've just recently celebrated another birthday and another year.  Each year at birthday time, I can't help but to feel like a 16 year old girl, celebrating her "sweet 16th" birthday again!  I get all giddy and excited and plan all the makings of a great "sweet 16" slumber party.  I get the perfect, thin crust cheese pizza, the perfect cake or cupcakes, decorations, Cheetos, Twizzlers, my favorite childhood candy, my favorite pajamas, my teddy bear and my favorite teen/childhood movies! And, unlike my actual 16th birthday, the thing I have to look forward to are the alcholic drinks!

I usually have a lot of fun during my birthday, because for me, it's about acknowledging myself . I try to celebrate it by myself in order to do some personal soul searching and reconnect with who I am. I use my birthday as a way to celebrate me as an individual, my accomplishments, my goals, my growth and my life!  As I do this, I walk away feeling refreshed, empowered and like I've actually grown a bit younger!  So it got me to thinking, just what are birthdays really for anyway?  Are they just to remind us that we're a year older?   

Or, are birthdays for celebrating you, who you are? The "good" things about ourselves? How far we've come? What we do have and what we have to look forward to?  And the fact that we're still here?  Is it a personal gift to ourselves, sort of like a personal New Year's to mark our personal journeys?  We celebrate the passing of each new year with such joy, celebration and welcoming, are birthdays meant to be celebrated the same way?

All I know is that each year, like each day, offers a fresh start.  A way to take a personal account of our lives.  Are we headed in the right direction?  Are we doing what we said we wanted to do?  Are we taking advantage of our time here? Birthdays for me are about celebrating your life. For that one day, you are the celebrity or star of your world! 

So, on your next birthday, celebrate it to the fullest by letting your inner star or "sweet 16" year old out!