Today is my birthday. I knew that it would be when I went to sleep last night. I knew it was when I woke up this morning, greeted by my dog's ever present desire to go outside. And yet, I wasn't met with the same self-sustaining excitement that I usually experienced on my birthday. Yes, this year is different. I am in a different city with my new wife, and those things do make me truly happy. I don't know if it was the fact that I knew I had to work on my birthday or the fact that I am getting older, but for some reason, today just seemed like any other day. And then I realized something.
That's wrong.
That's wrong because today isn't just like any other day. I have been battling with this thought in my own head so much lately. Every morning we wake up, go through our routine, sometimes dreading what is coming in our day or week, and we begrudgingly pull ourselves out the door. Why? Why am I treating each day like it has to bear a striking resemblance to the day before it? The Bible says that the Lord's compassion or mercies are renewed every morning. That tells me that each day is full of new potential for a lot of things!
What I struggle with the most is that each morning doesn't seem very different from the next morning. I think a lot of people struggle with that. There are so many elements in each of our days that run together or seem so similar. The same house, the same car, the same job, the same people, the route, and the same issues. We quickly become a people of routine even if we didn't intend to be. It's like those starter train sets that just come with the curved track pieces. There is a whole lot of fascination at first because you're watching a miniature train inside your own house! But then it gets boring pretty quick because you realize you're just watching it go in circles again and again. And again. And...
And therein lies my little epiphany. Who said I have to go in circles?
The answer is nobody. No one ever said that my life has to be routine, droll, and boring. No one ever said that just because certain elements in your day might be the same, that means that you have no right to make each day new. Yes, there are certain things about life that do not change or cannot change, yet there are several things in each of our lives that can change and should change.
I'm not trying to start a sermon. I'm not trying to inspire or incite everyone, but if I do, than that's awesome. I guess I am mainly speaking to me. Out of anyone that I know, I am the one that needs to hear this or realize this the most. Despite the consistency of daily routines, I can choose to make each day a new adventure. And so I will. I want to be a writer. I have so many writing projects started, but nothing is finished. I think it's about time I finished one. Or two. Or all of them. I'll let you know how that goes.
My life is not going to be boring.
I am going to know life in it's fullest.
