B(earth)day: An Autumn Photo Gallery Celebrating Life
What Makes a B(earth)day
In lieu of the annual today-I-commemorate-coming-out-of-the-womb jamboree, this year I’ve made official my b(earth)day celebration.
It may resemble the word “birthday,” but it still has very little to do with the day I first screamed on this earth. In fact, this b(earth)day is almost at the exact opposite end of the calendar.
This year has been fraught with struggle. For many months, I shriveled into a shell of myself, apathetic and uninspired by the standard reasons to be alive.
I have only just started my ascent back from that place, but this b(earth)day celebration became a great part of the motion. For my goal with this stretch of time was not merely to celebrate “myself,” but the whole gamut of good things: from sunshine to cold snaps, and mushroom colonies to loneliness in the evenings.
This weekend my perception has been emboldened, once again sparking with life. Even those “down” moments became grist for the mill—fresh lessons to learn, new ways to expand my capacity to love.
Autumn and October: A Meaningful Twain
There are multiple reasons why this week, in particular, felt meaningful for a b(earth)day.
The first is that for as far back as my memory stretches, I have been more drawn to autumn than any other time of year. Even when I lived in the Midwest, where snowfall often threatened to spoil Halloween, there was a magical quality to October and November that made dreaming about them commonplace.
Scrounging around in the same trove of memories, I might find a VHS tape of The Parent Trap (1998). In it, Lindsay Lohan plays her own long-lost twin. As the “two” are discovering their similarities at summer camp, they share peanut butter and Oreos (another of my favorites) and disclose their mutual birthday: October 11th.
But perhaps most significantly, October 11th is also the birthday of Thich Nhat Hanh, a monk whose teachings have deeply influenced the ways I interact with the world. It was him who first awoke me to the concept of continuation. There is no birth or death in this world, he taught; only processes which continually change. As such, every day is simply a continuation of the last.
So for me, this b(earth)day was an homage to things I hold dear—and a subtle reminder of the transience of this walk we call life.
The Nature of the 10-Second Photo Gallery
For anyone new to this website, these 10-second photo galleries are my way of storytelling and travel-sharing. They encapsulate the “slice of life” genre I’m fond of, offering peeks into this mind and heart (at manageable intervals, too).
Therefore, instead of yammering on in my usual way, each photo is accompanied by a snippet of text—akin to a poem, some might say. If I’ve accomplished my aim, then you’ll swiftly be whisked to another world.
And perhaps, fellow life-traveler, you’ll take some of this whimsy in stride. But for now, my hope is the next seventy-some-odd seconds will be a relief from any woes outside.
The B(earth)day Photo Gallery
inspired by the autumn season
The winds of this life may howl and bluster, my dear, but the sun still radiates its love, and the flora felicitously blooms in ceremonial accord.
An aged, rickety barn, a deep drawing of breath: here where dried buds sigh their last scent, peace is abundant, and lamplight permits the buzz-ridden mind to rest.
Mix slowly, knead carefully, and watch patiently for the process to unfold in time. Floured hands and boil-scummed pans are reminders of how the labors of creativity breathe life.
Climb to the heights of a mountain, and lo, behold—forewaiting is a dusting of early autumn snow! With frigid fingers, stack stones as one ordinarily might, and watch up above as a hawk circles in flight.
Marvelous beings, these phalange-like things. Gaze at them in wonder: without thought, without naming. What a delight it is to exist together, even if only for one moment, ever-fleeting.
The lull of the autumn leaves harkens straight to the soul. Their burst of excitement, as life here on earth: short-lived, yet exquisite, and with nary a reason to mourn.
There will be times like these, when a night out becomes a flop—perhaps food takes the face of the devil, or the clamor just won’t stop. But still inside there is solitude, forever there is peace. Retreat within and find that worth shall never cease.
An endcap to the celebration, this tiny flame contains a galaxy of heart. With festivities behind and the future ahead, nestle into this moment. Savor it. Be glad.
Hope, Celebration & Gratefulness Galore
Reflecting back over this time, I’m struck by how utterly present I was. How invested in each color, motion, and rhyme. The patterns of the universe started to reveal themselves again.
They reminded me I was never alone. That I had only given up trying.
Carrying the wisdom of the sages who came before me, I am equipped to transmute pain. Armored with immutable love, I am capable of most anything.
Remembering Oneness, interbeing, and my minute stitch in this cosmic tapestry, this b(earth)day transformed my relationship with existence. It brought the joy of being alive directly back to my heart.
Now I extend the same graces to you, my fellow beings: Happy B(earth)day to you, today and every day we are continuing.
♡⸝⸝.