Tomorrow is my golden birthday. A golden birthday is the once-in-a-lifetime overlap where the number of one’s age matches the number of the day. For me, it’s the 30th on the 30th. Tonight marks the final note of my own personal roaring twenties, the first page for whatever comes next.
Each one of us will be so lucky as to get to experience our golden birthday. Mine’s about as late as they come, just shy of the rare thirty-firsts, so I’ve waited longer than most humans ever will in the history of the Gregorian calendar to meet mine.
Every birthday, not just my golden birthday, has been a gentle reminder to slow down and reflect on my life so far. Writing this down is an act of meditation, in defiance of the nagging urges and routines my daily life pushes me towards. There is always some kind of forward momentum, both internal and external, pushing us forward in life, as we ride the currents of time and space, growing with each passing day.
I get to reflect on three beautiful decades of life tonight, and what a life it’s been. I feel grateful for my friends, my family, and the people I’ve loved and still love.
As I step into my thirties, I want to carry this happiness I feel in my soul with me to the end of my days. To feel connected to others, because life is meaningless without friendship and others to love. Shared experiences, lessons, and memories define who I am more than anything I’ve ever owned or sold.
I want to keep wandering the world, so I can walk all the boulevards, see all the oceans, taste all the cuisines, walk through the forests, meet all the people, smell all the wonderful smells this world has to offer.
Brief Letters to Myself
If I could write a letter to myself turning 20, I might say something like this:
What you focus on is everything you are and everything you will become. You are in control of that focus, and it’s the greatest power you will be given. There is no price on time, and you will not get any back. Look at each passing minute as an investment, and try to invest in others nearly as much as you invest in yourself. Love each day, love the music, the beaches, the waves, the sunsets, the ladies, the boys, and all the ups and downs that lie ahead. Be true to yourself. Don’t just emulate, incorporate. You’ve always been good enough, full stop.
As to my 40-year-old self, ten years from now:
Just because you’re ten years further from the moment I wrote this means very little in the grand shceme of life and the universe. What’s most important is that you have kept your soul, your dignity, your love for life, exploration, and adventure. Don’t stop loving music, coding, surfing, snowboarding, traveling, and connecting with friends just because you’ve taken on some new responsibilities. I hope you’re finding time for the things you love so you can share them with the people that matter to you the most. Age is truly but a number, and staying young at heart has always mattered to me, even as a child. I wish for you that it only gets better from here on out.
I don’t want to dwell on this too much because midnight approaches, and life will continue to go on as it has. But for this moment, I’m thankful. Thankful for every breath, every chance, every person who’s been a part of the ride.