Bloom.Independence.Responsible.Temperate.Humble
A birthday should be a celebration of you blooming into a better person. Independent with the experience you have gained and learning from the hardship you've gone through so far making you a responsible being. You learn to be temperate, rid of all the irrational behaviour you've taken on as a child. Growing up means learning to be humble.
IT IS NOT
Booze.Immature.Recklessness.Temperamental.Hidebound
Full stop. There is no elaboration to these words because the words are vivid enough to illustrate a person who grows up to be that being.
Have you ever been to a waterfall? If you have, you would know how strong the current is even during good weather, the water chills you to the bones and the rocks are slippery embellished with moss. I was brought by Jon to a waterfall on my birthday yesterday and needless to say, there is no other better way to celebrate your birthday than doing something as adventurous as that.
At first we were stepping from rock to rock carefully and occasionally we had to trudged through the cold water. I was warned of the rocks being slippery but as i was slowly getting used to it, his warning slipped my mind. I stepped onto a slippery surface of a rock and slipped, hitting my shin on the hard surface. Owh, the agony!
Despite that, i still went on, advancing from rock to rock with practised ease only much more careful this time.
Apart from the part where i almost drown both Jon and I, the whole trip was an amazing experience. On the return trip though, again jumping crossing from rock to rock with confidence, i slipped again and hit my knee this time. The most pathetic part is that it was the SAME DAMN ROCK! It was really painful this time but i pick myself up regardless and waited until the pain subsided a little before continuing. I kept Jon's advice at the back of my mind this time though and kept away from the mossy rocks until we were safely out of the water. When i sat down that night, I reflected back what Jon and I talked about few nights ago and related it to this incident i see a simmiliar pattern.
Everybody fall. No matter how rich, beautiful, popular, strong or influencial, they are all human. We all stumble and fall but it can not be an excuse for anyone to be that kind of being. Everybody go through shit and in the end it's the shit that teaches you, it's the shit that makes part of who you are now. By who you are I mean a stronger, if not mature and rational person through experience. If you stumble, fall, and learn nothing from that, you are most likely to stumble and fall again at the same spot.
But if you stumble, fall and pick yourself up, then take it as a lesson learned. Most likely, you will take a different path where you will stumble upon new things. It is then, you will Bloom, be Independent, be Responsible, be more Temperate and Humble.
Your Birthday should be a reBIRTH of you.
A reBIRTH that makes you a better person every growing year.
And today is the reBIRTH of Me.