I don’t mind getting older; it’s a privilege denied to so many.”
– Chris Geiger
Another birthday to reflect on another year. I looked at my birthday blog posts from last year (In Media Res: Birthday Eve, In Media Res: Birthday Morning, and Birthday Reflection: It’s Just Stuff).
So much is the same, but so much has changed… for the better… in the bigger picture… even when initially things may have seemed worse.
My Facebook memory of my birthday post from 2018 has fit every year since then.
Leenie is grateful to all who celebrated her birthday with her. FB greetings, phone calls, txt messages… It means a lot to hear from all y’all and to remember good times with each of you, and maybe LOL over a few. The sentiment behind greetings and gifts kept The Leenie’s spirit up all day. THANK YOU! Now for serious Leenie: I have never dreaded a birthday. Not when I turned 30, not when I turned 40, and certainly not today. I miss my friends and family who are no longer around to celebrate birthday together, and I am proud of my brave friends who are fighting whatever battles they face and just want to see their next birthday. Keep fighting! ‘I don’t mind getting older; it’s a privilege denied to so many.’ -Chris Geiger”
– Facebook post 24 January 2018
Another year of learning, living, and loving in The School of Life. Sometimes laughing, sometimes crying. Always learning, living, and loving. And feeling grateful.
My birthday was a helluva day per Jimmy V. I spent the day laughing, thinking, and crying from watching movies that the Keets picked out without any discussion:
- School of Rock
- What Dreams May Come
- Soul – this was my first time viewing Soul. I knew nothing about it beforehand, except that many friends were recommending it. I agree – Soul is a must-see film!
- Patch Adams
Each film, in its own way, felt relatable even though the specific details of characters’ situations were different from my experiences. The main characters’ passions and purposes mattered to the stories, echoing what I wrote in my previous blog post:
Life is meant to be LIVED, ups and downs, starts and stops, successes and failures, trial and error.”
– Happiness, Love, and Marriage
I may watch Soul again soon. I had another Pixar moment like I did the first time I saw Toy Story 3 and started crying when realized what was about to happen… I just didn’t bawl like I did then… but gaaaahhhhh, Soul really did manage to find that spot in my heart, perhaps my soul…
I felt inspired… and the affirmation that I am exactly where I am meant to be at this place and time in my journey.
Luceat lux vestra.
Strangely, on Sunday (the 24th), we watched soul as well. I had a vague notion that it was going to be a tear jerker…but was prepared more for ultimate tragedy as opposed to the eventual resolution.
But…I’ve always looked forward to my birthday…it always feels like a reset of sorts (whether I need a reset or not).
I usually feel a longing for birthdays of the past and missed opportunities, missed friends, family and loved ones.
You are where you are. I am where I am. A place in time is part chance, part accident and 100% existential. The tendrils of the past are irrefutable and inexorable. The future…?