i turn 28 tomorrow.  i’ve been preparing for this day for a while.  this summer I would say,
“JB, do you know December 17th I will be (said very slowly, for dramatic effect)
TWENTY – EIGHT?!”
… weird.
age is a funny thing.
last year i was in panama on a beach.
tomorrow and tonight i’ll be celebrating with family.
and you know what?
every age
(aside from maybe some incredibly awkward teenage years)
deserves to be my favorite.  to be celebrated.
i am not one of those people who says to high schoolers or college kids
“enjoy it!  it’s all down hill from here…”
because for every year in my life,
 i’ve thought “this is pretty cool.  this is my fave”
of course there are some years that are tough.
some filled with disease, a loneliness, death, lots of growing pains.
but like this little bottle cap tells us.
growing older is a privilege denied to so many.
i feel we have a responsibility to those we have lost to appreciate the here and now.
to be thankful for this day.  we’re alive.  and this world is pretty magnificent.