Few things in life change so drastically between youth and adulthood as birthdays.
When you’re a kid, birthdays are like a second Christmas. Gifts + attention + a year older = best.day.ever.
As an adult, it’s a yearly reminder that you’re one year further away from your youth. Some people are okay with that, for others, it’s a nightmare.
Around 7:45am this morning I turned 33, so in honor, I thought I’d share a few random birthday thoughts…
+ If it’s your birthday, and one of your good friends or family members call you, but FORGETS to say ‘Happy Birthday’, do them a favor and remind them before the end of the call. Is it a slightly tacky move? Yes. BUT, better to deal with that than the phone call you’d get 2 days later saying, “oh my goodness, so sorry i forgot about your birthday. we have so much going on, blah blah blah.”
+ Here’s a tip for couples: on your birthday take careful note of how your significant other treats you, because chances are that is the way they want to be treated on their birthday. Do they lavish attention and special treats on you all day long? Then do the same for them. Do they not make a huge deal about your birthday? Then probably not a good idea to schedule that surprise party. You might want to call off the marching band and skywriting plane as well.
+ For the folks who love getting “happy birthdays!”, Facebook has to be a dream come true. Suddenly you’re getting birthday wishes from family, friends, old friends, and people you don’t even know. Pretty sure the only reason Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook was because he likes getting birthday wishes.
+ There’s the “I love telling everyone it’s my birthday” person, and then there’s the “I love telling everyone that it was my birthday last week” person. This is the passive-aggressive version of the birthday announcer. They want your attention AND your pity.
+ One of the greatest things about birthdays is discovering who else was born on the same day of the year as you. For me I have my Uncle Mike, Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts, Hilary Duff, Frankie Jonas, and Fedor Emelianenko (who is arguably the toughest MMA fighter in the world).
Interestingly enough, Fedor also turns 33 today, meaning we were born on the exact same day. It’s almost as if the universe was balancing things out, having the toughest man in the world born in Russia on the same day that the untoughest man in the world was born in the United States.
+ The best thing about birthdays now that I’m getting old? They’re a solid reminder to count my blessings. With each year that passes, I become more and more aware of the grace that God has bestowed on my life. He’s given me the best friends and family anyone could ever have. He continues to reveal to me the gifts and talents I have and how He wants me to use them. He’s entrusted 2 amazing kids to my care, and I am blessed by them every day. He brought Erica and I together, and has helped us stay together, which makes me the luckiest guy on earth. And he’s given me His love, grace, and mercy, which brings me joy, peace, and hope like nothing else could.
If getting older means experiencing more and more of God’s grace in my life, than I say bring on the birthdays. and bring on Fedor! I’ll take him down (in a game of Scrabble) anyday.