Everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives, or at least so said William Wallace. Three different times, in the days leading up to my birthday, or on my birthday itself, I’ve almost died. On the day I was born the doctors weren’t sure if I would make it. I was premature and my lungs weren’t completely developed and so I spent the next 13 days in an incubator.
26 years later, on my 26th birthday I was walking home from the gym and got hit by a car. I walked away without a scratch.
And then this year. Three days before my birthday, on Valentine’s Day I hit a patch of ice and totaled my car. Again, I walked away without a scratch.
Have I really lived? My 29th birthday felt like a blessing and the best thing to do with a blessing is to give it away. I invited all the people that have made my life special over for a Hobbit inspired party. Hobbits celebrate their birthdays differently, instead of receiving gifts they give gifts on their birthdays.
I decided to give the gift of fellowship and thanks on my birthday. For my party I grilled up a delicious pork taco and a Cuban rice dish. Tacos Al Pastor (the pork tacos) has become one of my favorite dishes, but the Cuban rice dish was a new addition. Both were hits. I really enjoyed spending the day in the kitchen so that I could prepare a meal for my friends and family.
If really living means telling my friends that you’re thankful for the part they play in my life, then I want to do that more often.
Telling friends how much they mean to you is a true adventure. It is so much easier to stay quiet. What if you open your hear to them, and then they hurt you? Risks always a part of an adventure.
It doesn’t matter if my friends liked the food I cooked (I think they did, because hardly any was left at the end of the night), what matters is that I got to share a part of me with them.
I’m thankful that I have friends to spend my life with. The dinner was a blast, but my celebration didn’t stop there. I spent the rest of my birthday with friends in the mountains. I spent some time with an amazing couple and then played board games with some friends from high school.
Then my parents took me up to Vail to go snowshoeing. I hadn’t hiked East Lake Creek in five years and I think the three of us really had an amazing time traipsing through the fresh powder.
Turning 29 was an adventure, but it’s not over yet. I’m excited to see what God has in store for me as I close out my 20’s this year. I hope I truly live this year.
Thank you to everyone who made this Birthday a great one!!
Adventure With Brendan 