Today marks the 29th year I’ve been alive. Some might see this as a joyous occasion worth celebrating but I’m not sure why survival deserves so much credit. Other people also like to use this as a day to “party” but I essentially treat every weekend like a party and today would be no different. I actually “party” today by not partying. Your friends send you messages like happy b-day and enjoy the day but if it wasn’t marked on Facebook would they even know? Not that this really bothers me but I know who my friends are whether or not they post on my wall or wish me a happy birthday. I’m the last person who would get upset at someone for not chiming in and wishing me a happy birthday. For me it feels just like any other day. 1/365. Age though is a good way to benchmark your life and I want to share some thoughts I have on it.

As you get older, you mature, and store valuable information that you’ve received throughout your life. Today at 29 I can make better informed decisions than I could at 18. One major noticeable change is money. When a company says that they made 30 million dollars this year, I can understand how big a number 30 million is from a dollar sense. At 18, I was grasping how much money a thousand dollars was. Your perspective becomes clearer with more life experience. This is a wonderful thing because it makes life more fun and complicated. This goes hand in hand with the way you think about life because your view should be constantly changing and adapting.

People are always saying how they wish they could be 18 again. I do not. I personally like being 29 and aside from maybe being 26, there is no age I’d rather be than what I am now. This view might change when I hit 35, but for now that’s how I feel. I’m in my same lifetime 17:30 5k shape. I still feel strong and healthy. I’m able to play sports the same as when I was younger aside from seemingly getting injured easier. I have more money and I respect it more even if I still make poor decisions. I can view younger peoples decisions with regard to what’s happened in my life and can take older peoples advice on how to move forward. It’s really a wonderful age.

The obvious thing that I don’t have in my life is any stability or building to a family. With no girlfriend and no place I’d call my own, I’m essentially starting from scratch at 29. There are some people who would be horrified at this. However, this is exactly what I’ve chosen to do with my life and I don’t regret a thing. The obvious pluses are that I have no baggage and haven’t made any mistakes in that regard. It also means I haven’t really lived. With all that being said, I still have, many years of my life to figure this part out. I don’t look at today as happy or sad, it’s just another naturally occurring event.