Take A Lap

Well, I made it all the way around the sun again.

In the past, these birthday blogs have been a summary of the life lessons I’ve accumulated over that particular year, which is a fancy way of saying: a recap of all the times I’ve fucked up and what I learned from each episode. But the older I get, the less I’m fucking up (finally). I’m starting to figure things out, become the person I am meant to be, and live that life confidently. 

That doesn’t mean this last year was devoid of a blooper reel. You know, the moments of pain and struggle that can make you feel like a stranger to your own self.

But this lap around the sun proved to me that moments of pain and struggle are scary, but okay. They’re okay because they create boundaries regarding what you will and will not accept from that point forward. In that sense, the pitfalls are actually the pivot points that move your life in a better direction.

Recently, I saw a chalkboard sign outside a coffee shop. Instead of a flowery Pinterest quote, it had a single, unassuming question: What has been meaningful to you this year? I liked it because it was a departure from the trendy, meditative crap that’s absolutely everywhere these days. Instead, this sign inspired mindfulness in a bullshit-free way.

I thought about this sign immediately after seeing it. Then again for many days to come. Now, the question floats into my head every now and then and it each time I answer it, it makes me feel alive and in touch with my own life story. Because answering that question truthfully forces you not to discount the troublesome times. Things that are meaningful in life aren’t always positive. But shortcomings have a way of evolving into something bigger and better over time.

So, yeah. I took a lap around the sun but I didn’t get burned. Instead, I got in touch with what has been meaningful to me and it illuminated my world as I know it.

Cheers to 31.