Birthdays and Anniversaries

Birthdays are supposed to be times of great happiness. They are occasions on which we celebrate another year of being alive. They’re joyous occasions, and can make feel very special. However, on the same day that someone is celebrating life, another person is mourning life lost. Most tragedies that happen in our lives won’t become national or even international news. They’ll only be remembered by a select few. Occasionally, tragedies make their way into the national and international headlines, and remain engrained in our hearts and minds for a long time. Sometimes, those impactful tragedies have occurred on our own birthdays. One example is the Tenerife disaster. It was one of the worst airplane disaster in history. Coincidentally, the anniversary of it is the same day as my birthday. What a weird coincidence. Knowing this makes my birthday feel very strange. I’m celebrating life on my birthday, while somewhere in the world, there are people out there who are mourning the lives lost on that tragic day. It is a strange feeling to feel, and it really puts life, and death, into perspective. We all are born into this world, and we will all one day leave this world, as well. It may happen when we’re young, when we’re old, or when we’re somewhere in the middle. It can happen any time, and on any day, even on our own birthdays. It is crazy to think about, but we have to remain positive and hope that nothing bad happens to us.