On my birthday, I must always strike a balance.
I always try to remember and savor my happiness with my family over a shared meal and an off-key happy birthday tune and my never-successful attempts at blowing out all the candles in one breath.
I remember and savor my happiness without forgetting the unhappiness of so many others on the day that was always fun and celebratory for me (and my cousin, too).
It feels silly to even talk about it, really, as if I'm calling for attention or asking for sympathy. But I know there are a lot of people whose anniversaries of some sort of happiness fall on the same day as a memory of sadness for others. I know I'm not the only one who struggles to understand my own happiness when I know others who are struggling with sadness and sorrow. If you have this struggle, too, I get it, and I'm telling myself this as much as I'm telling you: try to enjoy your happiness. Life isn't always full of happiness, so enjoy it when it comes and it'll give you the strength for the less happy parts of life.
2 comments:
it was your birthday?! a very merry birthday to you!!! i think we each definitely deserve to celebrate the joys and victory's in life, no matter what else is going on in the world or the lives of others. yes, sadness, grief, pain, and all other undesirable emotions are constantly occurring somewhere in the world, but it's through each of our choices to embrace the good that makes the world a positive place. and remember, sadness, struggles, all of that, are truly necessary for each of our journeys if any of us are ever to understand what it means to be happy and joyful. so celebrate away! and a virtual birthday high-five to you my dear! :)
When was your birthday? I hope you had a splendid one. I'm lucky that my birthday shares the date with another happy event -- my parents' anniversary. But I know my great aunt's birthday is hard for her. Two years ago, my grandmother passed on her birthday and a few decades before that, my grandfather got sick and passed the next day. It's tough for her but I make sure to call her and take her out and help her celebrate her awesome life.
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