Another year

I've written before about getting over the annual tradition of anxiety and existential dread on my birthday. I guess the trend's holding strong, since this year was no different than recent others. In fact, my birthday this year was less of an occasion than ever before, and I felt fine about it.

Every 17th of June, I marvel at how quickly the past year seems to have run by. Time almost always moves fast, and that feeling's only grown more dramatic as I've gotten older. (But really, I think the pedal hit the floor immediately post-college.) To not go insane, I try to remind myself of how much has happened during this most recent trip around the sun. Here's what I've got for this year, in no particular order:

• I got (modestly) better at climbing
• Had two siblings get engaged (and messed up the photo-op for one in spectacular fashion)
• Became kind of an uncle
• A lot of new knowledge about plants and birds, along with a much-improved native plant garden
• More interest in photography and more use for my macro lens
• That sub thing imploded in the North Atlantic (yeah, remember that? Not really related to me... but still kind of noteworthy)
• Trips to places both exotic and familiar: Norway, London, Door County, the UP, New York, Phoenix
• Finally did PT and have been getting into running after a yearslong stalemate
• Took far more Amtrak trains than I'd ever wish upon another soul
• Signed a lease to move to Ann Arbor this July
• Other hobbies: built (and repeatedly improved) this site, got back into piano a little, a brief stint with woodworking, other mini dev projects

And of course, the gazillion other moments of daily life that are impossible to remember: meals had, friends made, emotional highs and lows and plateaus. Too much to fit in my brain, but enough to reaffirm that I did, in fact, live every day of this past year.

Which brings us to today, the day dedicated to commemorating all of this. It went smoothly. I didn't put too much pressure on it. It's fun to celebrate and to do something special, but it's also nice to not stake too much of my self-worth on manufacturing the best day ever. Maybe I'm maturing (read: getting old) or maybe my half-assed meditation practice is catching up with me, but I'm starting to see the value in another normal day. Especially considering how lucky I am to have "normal" be a pretty high baseline.

If you're someone who knows me, thanks for thinking of me— whether today or whenever you're reading this. And if you're not, uh... how the hell did you end up here?