Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Okay, it might not be your birthday today. If you’re reading this shortly after publishing, thanks for being a loyal reader! More likely, I sent you this on your birthday month. Why? We have a crisis with birthdays.

The Birthday Crisis

Remember when you were a kid and you absolutely loved birthdays? We just had a combined birthday for my now two- and four-year-old girls. It was puppy-themed and decked out with Paw Patrol. They had been looking forward to it for weeks, and the celebrations were a highlight of their year. That’s right, celebrations. Family morning celebration, friend celebration, family evening celebration. We go all out.

Kids’ birthdays are fun. But then, as we age, we lose our zeal for birthdays. Our celebrations become more muted until we don’t celebrate at all. Many get to the point where they hope no one notices their birthdays. And that’s a crisis.

Why We Don’t Have Happy Birthdays

I think we stop celebrating our birthdays as we age for two reasons.

Birthdays Become a Smaller Milestone

My oldest, Elodie, turned four this year. Going from age three to four is a 33% increase in age! That’s a lot of life! And my youngest, Emmy, turned two. Going from one to two is doubling her age. So yeah, birthdays are big milestones for kids.

But when you go from thirty to thirty-one, it’s a 3.3% increase in your age. When you go from fifty-five to fifty-six, it’s a 1.8% increase. And in your seventies? You get the idea. It doesn’t feel like such a big deal because it isn’t as significant of a jump.

We Fear Getting Older

Our culture is obsessed with youth. We idolize the young and attractive and ignore experience and wisdom. The obsession generates everything from “age-defying” face creams, botox injections, and hair loss treatments to jokes about being perennially age twenty-nine.

This is a mindset, and it’s a bad one. I love getting older. There isn’t an earlier stage of my life that I’d rather go back to. Life keeps getting better if you’re intentional about it and take action. I feel sorry for people who want to stay in or return to their twenties. I say this to my friends, but let me go on record here: I plan to peak in my 50s and 60s. If you peaked in your 20s, you may want to reevaluate your life. 😉

Celebrate You with a Happy Birthday

I may not be able to convince you that getting older is better, but perhaps I can change your mindset on birthdays. Here’s my encouragement:

Use your birthday to celebrate you, if not to celebrate you getting older.

Do things you enjoy. Do them with people you enjoy. There is plenty of time to do other things for other people. Birthdays are a great excuse to celebrate you.

The Linde Birthdays

I have to give my wife credit for getting me into birthdays. We have a wine glass that says “Birthday Month.” And that’s how we treat it. We don’t just have a birthday; we celebrate all month.

Here’s how Kayla and I do birthdays. Each year, we celebrate in four ways:

• A Friend Birthday, with our friend group.
• A Family Birthday, a party with the kids and us.
• A Couple Birthday, a date night with just us, no kids or friends.
• An Individual Birthday, something we do alone. (We are both social introverts.)

I give an example of how that looked in 2023 on the podcast.

Have a Happy Birthday (Month)

I couldn’t recommend this enough. If you’re getting this sent to you sometime in 2024, you’re (hopefully) getting it at the beginning of your birthday month. I encourage you to celebrate your birthday this year. Make plans. Do what you want to do with whom you want to do it. Have a friend, family, couple, and individual birthday. It’s terrific.

Happy Birthday!

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