Birthday: Moment of joy or pure bitterness, loathing and depression?

[Kierkegaard]

Well it is my birthday today, and this year unlike the past 12 years I won't be in Greece(it boils down to my father having a bout(first time) of acute pancreatitis, aside from his chronic one). Anyway as I was enjoying a great lunch of Llomo, Iberico Pork, seaweed salad with a glass of beautiful Rioja wine, I couldn't help but feel both very satisfied and on the verge of bitter tears. I began to fester through the the scornfully blissful years I had gone through, all the planning, the disillusioned contempt, my youth, the illness, the writing, the anguish, all moments I wouldn't give away for anything... The joys, the cigars, love, especially the infatuated unrequited one, the limerence, reading, talking to great friends. They were all juxtaposed in a sort of a perfect beauty that completes a life...

Which made me wonder, with what feelings do you associate a birthday with, the passing of years, and all the misery, or a great celebration, pure joy? Or both?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PigFish]

That was a good post mate! I enjoyed reading it.

Birthdays! Just another f'n day! Some are good, some are less than.

It appears to me that it is better to be above ground to write about it. It is another day to accomplish, fail, love, hate and all the rest. It is always a good excuse for excess and a good cigar.

When I reminisce it is largely for fun. If I put too much thought into the state of many things, there is room for remorse. I am not a remorseful person. I strike while the iron is hot and live for the moment. I therefore have few regrets. Don't mistake those for 'few errors.' I have plenty of those. Yet a regret is a memory that appears to never heal. I understand wisdom and what the world has taught me, it is my anodyne! Wisdom is a buttress against remorse!

Happy birthday! I hope your dad gets better!

Cheers! -Piggy

[Nino]

39 minutes ago, PigFish said:

That was a good post mate! I enjoyed reading it.

Birthdays! Just another f'n day! Some are good, some are less than.

It appears to me that it is better to be above ground to write about it. It is another day to accomplish, fail, love, hate and all the rest. It is always a good excuse for excess and a good cigar.

When I reminisce it is largely for fun. If I put too much thought into the state of many things, there is room for remorse. I am not a remorseful person. I strike while the iron is hot and live for the moment. I therefore have few regrets. Don't mistake those for 'few errors.' I have plenty of those. Yet a regret is a memory that appears to never heal. I understand wisdom and what the world has taught me, it is my anodyne! Wisdom is a buttress against remorse!

Happy birthday! I hope your dad gets better!

Cheers! -Piggy

^^ Exactly this.

Happy Birthday and best wishes for your dad !

 

[luv2fly]

Happy Birthday and I hope all goes well with your dad!

I look at my birthday, which is quickly approaching, as nothing more than I am still above ground.  No celebrations.  I have another birthday that I celebrate more than the day of my birth.  It is when life became infinitely better. ? 

 

[BellevilleMXZ]

Happy Birthday! I will say, I didn't like 40, and REALLY didn't like 50. I guess once you start to see older family/friends,etc pass, it just reminds you of how old you are. 50 was just over a year ago, and it doesn't seem such a big deal now, but at the time, did not enjoy it at all.

[LLC]

Happy birthday. It is better to be seen than viewed.


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[99call]

Happy Birthday Dude, 

I detest my own Birthday, but love celebrating other peoples.  I didn't really enjoy my teens or twenties, but loved my thirties (which i'm just about still in).  I think sometimes certain personalities just come into their own a different ages.   I know a few older mates, who seem to desperately wish they were 17 again, I couldn't think of anything worse.  Enjoying getting older, and remembering good times. Looking forward to adventures new...............but no my own Birthday means nothing to me, but another day. 

[NYMets01]

Exactly what Pig said. Just another day. 

For me, it’s not really about getting older as I’ve always felt that way about my birthday. I was never one for attention or advertising successes, failures, etc. 

It also helps that my wife’s birthday is one day after mine so for the sake of a successful marriage it’s in my best interests to make sure I’m prepared and focused on her birthday!

[Puros Y Vino]

I don't make a big deal of it but I do believe every year alive is a privilege. I know too many people in my life that were cut short before their mid 50's.  I'd say your health as you age is more important than the number itself.

[Colt45]

I get all emo and throw on some Cure

 

[Kierkegaard]

Thank you all for the thoughtful and kind responses, I expected nothing less of you gentlemen... I did see your posts on my birthday, and I really appreciated them, and my father is slightly better I suppose.

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[Kierkegaard]

That was a good post mate! I enjoyed reading it.
Birthdays! Just another f'n day! Some are good, some are less than.
It appears to me that it is better to be above ground to write about it. It is another day to accomplish, fail, love, hate and all the rest. It is always a good excuse for excess and a good cigar.
When I reminisce it is largely for fun. If I put too much thought into the state of many things, there is room for remorse. I am not a remorseful person. I strike while the iron is hot and live for the moment. I therefore have few regrets. Don't mistake those for 'few errors.' I have plenty of those. Yet a regret is a memory that appears to never heal. I understand wisdom and what the world has taught me, it is my anodyne! Wisdom is a buttress against remorse!
Happy birthday! I hope your dad gets better!
Cheers! -Piggy

Ray, I have to say my outlook is very similar in that respect, I wouldn't say I celebrate it necessarily, but rather I take advantage of the "complementary fondling" generously offered by others...
I don't drink much, I avoid drunkenness with all my power(hate the feeling), at most I become tipsy. Generally when I am I become quite jolly, but once in a while, whether 'tis by a shifting state of mind or a bad batch of alcohol I get horribly bitter and incoherently sad... As was the case... Once I sobered up, I was fine, and purely jolly... Anyway...

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[JohnS]

A belated best wishes for your birthday @Kierkegaard and all the best for your dad!

[multi-useless]

40 minutes ago, ZoeSanderson25 said:

A person with birthday depression might experience:

• being tired and unenthusiastic in the days approaching their birthday
• feeling sad and unable to figure out a reason why or shake off the sadness
• feeling mildly paranoid or anxious beforehand and on the day itself
• losing their self-confidence or self-esteem
• difficulty concentrating and inability to stop thinking about the approaching birthday
• wanting to avoid contact with people, including family and friends
• trouble falling asleep or waking in the night thinking about the birthday
• losing their normal appetite
• having physical aches and pains
• having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, in severe cases, as a birthday approaches

I didn't even read the whole thing, and I already feel smarter!

 

But yeah, bdays used to be a great excuse to drink excessively.  Now that I'm older and have kids, they're an excuse to smoke agood cigar...  not that I, or anyone else on a cigar forum, should ever need an excuse to smoke

[99call]

I actively enjoy getting older.  the slow ebbing and physical decrepitude aside,  my 30's were so much more enjoyable than my 20's,  and I think if anyone has experienced life that way around, they are a great deal less vain and sorrowful about getting older, it teaches you to look forward to what is next, as opposed to mourning the past. 

I don't like my Birthday, as I don't like attention, and will do anything I can to get out of it.   

 

[Connoisseur Kim]

I enjoy my Bday with good meal, cigar, and booze along with cool gift. I myself even planning a My Bday Celebrational Virtual Cigar Herf as well! The only party pooper will be donkey d#%k rocket cigars; dog rocket cigars; cat rocket cigars; wheel of torture cigars.

Sorry for your dad's health issue and godspeed for his recovery. Happy birthday @Kierkegaard!

[Richard peters]

My 30 year birthday hit me hard, turned 58 this month and have not experienced anything similar sense. Do believe another year older is better than the alternative. Thoughts and prayers to the Kierkegaard family believing all will turn out well. 

[BrightonCorgi]

Only celebrate prime number birthdays and they'll be a little more special.

[Wookie]

Treat people well. Acquire mental and physical skills. Teach those skills to your kids, if you have them. Enjoy temporal pursuits like FOH. 

[Fuzz AI]

23 hours ago, Connoisseur Kim said:

 Happy birthday @Kierkegaard!

You are either getting in early on this year's birthday wish, or you are 22 months late....

[Connoisseur Kim]

2 hours ago, Fuzz said:

You are either getting in early on this year's birthday wish, or you are 22 months late....

Well, did I plan my Bday early? I guess so hehe LOL ?. Anyway, Bday is always good for me, since I got some great gifts like XIKAR Executive II and I still use it along with FOH Lighter XD ??

[kingsizexx]

hallucinogens have a tendency to change people's view and perspective of the world within him. Something is triggered, his vector of attention is changed, many conscientious objection are reviewed, and person under those kind of drugs can extremely boost his life quality and fix many deep problems which he didn't even know about, yet they were f*cking up his life from backside. I was smoking weed in past, but I left it due dependency, I enjoy more how green malaysian kratom effects your body, chills you and doesn't get you so high whereas you get headache

Best regards, Kingsizexx

[kingsizexx]

this is normal, depression is a pure state of ur soul without any social masks etc