Birthdays, we love them or we hate them. When we’re young, having another birthday brings us closer to a given day. We’re looking forward to the time we start kindy, commence primary school, high school or maybe university or go for our first job.
When we’re a little older, we look forward to passing our driving test and getting our first car. (We always remember that) or our engagement, or even marriage is then on the cards.
Maybe looking forward to going somewhere different, to celebrate the end of school days, maybe even the start of going overseas for a gap year in another country.
We always seem to be looking forward to something in our life, then maybe as we get older the sudden realisation that the years have slipped by so quickly that we have forgotten to live our life, things that could have been done differently.
Places we could have gone to and seen or maybe even a more satisfying workplace.
Maybe we’ve gone off the tracks a little and ended up the wrong side of the law, sometimes through peer pressure or our own stupid fault.
Reaching certain milestones confers particular rights. A certain age allows you to buy cigarettes or run for elected office or legally buy alcohol or drive on our roads.
A number of different countries observe marriage a little differently, this then cements a relationship and has certain responsibilities. In Asia there is a tradition of celebrating a 60th birthday, whilst Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Brazil and many other countries, all observe age related birthdays and or special rituals peculiar to their faith.
Two years ago this column talked about how our life is not a rehearsal. We don’t get a second chance to have our life over or correcting the mistakes that we have made in the past.
Each birthday is a reminder that we could do better.
Many of us are living a lot longer than a hundred years ago, then the average life expectancy was 32 years. By 2021 this had more than doubled to 71 years. In 1800, there was no life expectancy higher than 40 years.
This dramatic turnaround has been brought about by great advances in medicines, sanitation and improvements in economic growth and poverty reduction.
So, you’re having a birthday soon!
If you’re over eighty (OBE) relish the fact that, providing you’re in good health, most insurance companies would tell you that you should live to at least 90.
Every birthday you have now is a bonus.
Tell your loved ones how you feel about them, tell them how much they mean to you.
Have that conversation. They need to know. So! go ahead and enjoy the day.
