On Birthdays and Dreams

My mother just called to ask what I wanted to do for my birthday.

"It's your 18th birthday; you should care," is what she told me. But here's the thing; I don't care.

My birthday is no more a rite of passage than my 18th vote on Wattpad, or my 18th status update on Facebook. What does being 18 even mean? Being able to vote or buy a lottery ticket? Being able to put advertisements on my blog so that I can get at least a little bit of money occasionally? Being able to work without a permit? Those aren't actions that make my birthday a rite worth passing. No, my birthday should be something more than a day where everyone celebrates me. The birthday itself doesn't matter much. What I do with that next year should be what we celebrate.


So here's what I want for my birthday. I want to look back at the last 18 years of my life and determine what I did that was noteworthy. Whose lives have I changed? What differences did I make? Where was my time and effort effective? And after I've determined how much of an impact I've had on those around me (if any at all,) then I want to figure out how I can make the next year even better than the last 18. I want to see if I can make my 19th year of life my best one yet. Will I make any progress in achieving my dreams? Will I finish one of my many *In Progress* novels? Will I be discovered by a Broadway talent scout or a an up-and-coming chef? Will I write my grandfather the screenplay he so desperately wants?

It's an interesting thought to ponder. 18 years of my life have gone by, and what dreams have I accomplished? I've starred in musicals. I've performed for thousands. I've fallen in (and out of) love. I've had my heart broken. I've gotten accepted to college. I've gotten my driver's license. I've had my first stage kiss, and my first real kiss.

So what do I have left to do? I haven't gotten my storybook love story. I haven't starred in a musical on Broadway. I haven't written a novel. I haven't been published. I haven't opened a restaurant. I haven't gone to culinary school. I haven't had to support myself. I haven't had a true road-trip adventure. I haven't sang the National Anthem at a Nascar race. Now obviously I'm not going to accomplish all or even most of these goals in the next year, but I don't have to. I just have to compare how far my life's come to how far I have to go.

So here's my challenge to you. Tell me what dreams you've accomplished in the years since you were born, and tell me where you still have to go. That's what you can celebrate on your birthday. Not another year of aging, but another step towards your life's goals.