had a birthday over the weekend. i’m officially 28 now (28 and 2 days really). i don’t feel any different. i haven’t felt different from a birthday in a long time. 25 seemed like a milestone of some kind. i mean, quarter of a century, right? a blink in the global timeline, maybe an hour in one life. not that long but long enough. as a child, they all seem like milestones (well once you are old enough to grasp the concept of aging) and as a teenager, 16, 18, 21 all seem so important. but what happens then?

28 isn’t very special. there’s not much to turning 28 really. 30 might mean something. it’s always like you pick years that should mean something to you. 30 is when you get married. 35 is when you have kids. 55 or 65 and you retire. you don’t really hear about someone making plans for 28. it’s kind of this weird, between age; not really a kid but not really an adult either.

i do feel different though. i feel older and wiser, but not because of my birthday. my birthday somehow lost that all powerful significance. i find myself thinking about things i never thought i would… marriage, kids, buying a house. i even find myself looking forward to those things. but it’s not like these thoughts magically appeared the day after my birthday. they’ve been creeping in over the last few months, or maybe years even.

i think the real significance of your birthday is the way it makes you think back on your life. to take notice of what you’ve done, where you’ve gone, what you’ve seen. to think back on what your life is, what it isn’t, and what you wish/want it to be. your birthday isn’t so much about getting presents and getting wasted and having fun (although i think it’s an excellent excuse to do all those things) but more about taking stock of who you are and evaluating yourself.

it’s about growing up.