I remember a time as a child that I saw birthdays as being about a day when you would receive things. Those days are long gone. Now birthdays are about reflecting on where I am in life.
Am I old? Am I young? It depends on who you ask.
On one hand, I am in the last decade of my career. If all goes as I hope, I will be retiring from the military in eight years.
But another way to look at things is that I have just started a new position that is literally my dream job. There really is no other job that I would want to do.
I have experienced a lot over my years and I expect to experience many new things in the years to come.
Not every thing has gone my way but there are many things that I am thankful for. I am blessed with an amazing family. I have had many people reach out to me as we have moved back to Ontario and I am struck by how many who care. I feel the same support from the people we left behind in Nova Scotia.
The truth is that we never know how much time we have left. I am currently only 17 years younger than my dad was when he died. I am not anticipating death, but I am more aware of my own mortality as I grow older.
Instead of grieving this, I am trying to shift the narrative to making the best of every day. These are the thoughts that have come with this birthday.
