Birthdays are an interesting phenomenon. Usually, they are a time for celebration and a good excuse to get together with loved ones for a joyous occasion. Luckily, that is the way it will be for me this coming week, which I never take for granted.

Every year is a mixture of good and not-so-good experiences that move us forward through the journey of life. Those memories are somewhat blurry when we are young. I listen to my kids talk about their childhood, and it appears that they are still too young to be very reflective on their past. Why is that? Is it because they aren’t as nostalgic as their “old man,” or is it that they are spending all of their energy building their own lives now, and they don’t have the time to look back yet?

One thing is for sure: they take getting up in the morning without any aches and pains for granted. I certainly did until recently. The human body is an incredible machine that is constantly repairing itself as we go through the rigors of our daily life. It has become glaringly apparent that as we age, the healing process from injury takes longer and longer. That’s how we all end up dying. The body can’t keep up with the barrage of issues it has to confront. I joke with my wife that we can both count on one hand the number of mornings we wake up with nothing being sore. It’s something you just get used to because you have no choice if you want to stay physically active. It’s a constant battle that gets harder and harder every day. However, the earlier in one’s life you begin to take care of yourself, the easier it will be to stay fit as the years add up. My advice is to not wait to take care of your body. Start doing something about it today!

Certainly, as I have gotten older, I have had more time for reflection. Wow, I have written a lot about time in previous posts! It’s the one thing that is most precious to me, yet it is the most elusive. It has been a struggle my entire life to stay in the present and not be looking ahead for the next best thing. I am aware of how I should be, but my mind likes to race from thing to thing. It’s just how I’m wired. I am so envious when I come across people who appear to be living more in the present. It’s always a goal of mine to mediate more and take a breath more often which helps so much.

There are years, though, in everyone’s life where there are signposts that get your attention. Given what experiences unfolded this past year, it allows me to reflect differently as I am about to turn 62.

There is a term called “eat the frog first,” which means if you have a list of tasks or something to say that is difficult, do it first. So, that’s what I’m going to do; I lost my best friend and my father this past year. For the first 61 years of my life, I had lost very few loved ones. I always knew that eventually really bad things would happen to me, but I never thought they would happen so close together. Reflecting back on going through those experiences has changed me forever. It’s now a little harder to be always positive about life, not impossible, just a little bit harder. I’ve learned that you never get over the loss, but you try to cherish the good times that you shared together and move on because time never stops, and you don’t ever want to stop living because you never know what’s going to be around the corner.

It’s hard to add up all of the good memories over a year and wonder if they compare to the bad experiences that have occurred. Maybe we take the good ones for granted. I hope not. I can tell you that if you ever are lucky enough to have a grandchild, it will reignite your belief in pure goodness and pure joy. Looking at the world through the eyes of a 2-year-old is truly amazing. When is the last time you woke up in the morning and started your day by singing? That’s how our granddaughter starts every day. If that doesn’t give you hope that the world has a chance to be a better place in the future, what will?

For the reasons I explained earlier, this birthday has made me pause and reflect more than usual. At 62, a big part of my life is behind me. That’s not to say that there aren’t many, many great times ahead. I’m so excited for them. Having said that, I just hope that when you read this post, you appreciate everyone around you who loves you. Take a moment and tell someone how lucky you are for them to be part of your life. Hopefully, it will help to continue to move you forward and make every day count because the proverbial clock is always ticking!