Today is another birthday and so I went back and re-read last year’s birthday post (and also found this old picture with my Mom, Dad and older sister).  I was actually surprised that last year’s post was so relevant to where I am today so — instead of rewriting the same thing and because I liked last year’s so well — here it is again:

Today is another milestone on my path in life (my birthday) and I always grow contemplative and melancholy on this day each year. When I was a kid it was all about having my birthday being ‘lost’ due to the impending Christmas holiday (“hey Steve, you’ll get your ‘combo’ bday/xmas present on Christmas!”) and I was more sad than anything else. As I moved in to adulthood, this day was all about thinking through the meaning of the year of my life just passed, what I accomplished, and whether or not I made a difference in the world.

Has mine been a wonderful life?  I often wonder. Today, more than any other, is the time these thoughts swirl around in my head faster than any other day throughout the year. Though some think it’s sappy and is an overused metaphor for contemplating one’s impact on the world, I still watch It’s A Wonderful Life almost every year…and it has the same heart-tugging, introspective effect on me every time.

Most people have reflective thoughts like these on New Year’s Eve. Me?  That evening feels like I’m on the precipice about to leap in to the future — and I always find myself enthusiastic, optimistic and eager for the new year to begin. I consider a new year to be all about renewal, possibilities and being my opportunity to re-engineer myself and focus on making a difference and being a “bright light” once again.

On the next page is content from an email I received from a buddy of mine last night. It is of the type that I almost *always* immediately delete — but I didn’t this time and it sparked thoughts about my “generational place” in the world and the continuing process of renewal.

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