Let me paint a picture. I’m in my bed, sun shining through the blinds of my windows. I slowly open my eyes and rub the eye boogers away, yuck… Sit up and stretch my back, dang it’s been a long night. What time is it? I reach out and grab for my phone… WHAT IT’S 11?! Woah, there’s like 30 notification cards on my lockscreen… Oh wait, that’s right. It’s my birthday…

it's meh bday

How should one react to such a day? Is it a day of celebration or a day of reflection? Party till we die or think back to the years that have gone by?

I’ve thought about this for the past few birthdays that I’ve had. Although I did spend the day with my friends and had loads of fun, a part of me pulled back and reminded me of the many years that have passed. Am I getting old? No way, I’ll just play Super Mario World on my Gameboy Advanced SP and forget the fact that I’m 20… JESUS CHRIST, I’m 20?! I could of sworn I was like 14 a week ago!

I’m a clingy person. I try to cling onto my childhood for as long as I can. Any moment where I can go back and feel like I’m just a kid, I go for it! Heck, I got my sister to liking Pokémon so I can watch it again and replay the games. I started to watch Dragon Ball Z and Naruto again to relive the glory days. I imagine myself as a toddler playing in a sandbox, exploring, building, learning, and playing! I believe we should all let out that inner child and truly show our colors.

picassogood

But come on, this is the real world, you have to grow up Hussain. Time to get a job, make sure to have an education, soon you gotta start a family and raise your kids the same way you’ve been brought up. There’s no time for fun anymore Hussain, go be a productive member of society.

You know what, screw that! I’m gonna live life my way! Who says you can’t play Super Mario when you’re 20!? Heck, I read a post on the MediaTemple blog about the things Mario has taught us about User Experience. And then this post on the life lessons Pokémon taught us. Our childhoods are some of the most defining moments in our lives and if you let go of that, you’re really letting go of a lot of valuable life lessons as well as some of the most exciting moments in our lives. I find that as we grow up, we lose sensitivity to our emotions; makes for a pretty dull life in my opinion…

Here are my concluding thoughts: birthdays are not just a day to celebrate, birthdays are a day to reflect. Remember all the defining moments in your life while you still can before they fade away.

Remember the day you learned to ride a bike.

Remember those embarrassing moments you had while you were in school.

Remember the time you pulled that all-nighter to complete your favorite game for the fifth time.

Remember the pain you felt when you broke your hand for the first time.

Remember the joy you had when you pulled the game winner from half court.

Remember who you are

Anyway, that’s it for me today folks. These have just been some of the thoughts that have been floating around in my mind during my birth anniversary. Have a wondrous Wednesday!

The Birthday Boy,

Hussain