Breaking The Chains

I love birthdays. I celebrate mine everyday. Every day I do something for myself such as; listening to one of my favorites CD's, taking a scenic walk in the park, or contemplating on a seed of truth and watching the answer unfold.

For some people, birthdays are depressing reminders that they are getting older.

I have heard many acquaintances say that they skip birthdays to stay young. As ridiculous as it sounds, it probably makes sense in their heads.

As we get older, we gain wisdom and psychic abilities. We can sum up situations and usually predict their outcome. With each mark of wisdom is a resolve that we are powerless under God.

My grandmother used to say, "Youth is only for the wicked." While I know she wasn't referring to me, at least I hope not, I pondered whether she had a good point?

Would I give up youth for wisdom? On the other hand, I don't think I would ever give up wisdom for youth. She also used to say that she earned every line on her face.

She would point to each one and recall an event that caused it. Each line represented a memory, a time in her life when she gained wisdom. I asked her if she ever wanted to be young again?

"Oh, sweet child," she'd say with her grandmother cadence. Her laugh would turn into a choke, while I would retrieve a glass of water to mollify her paroxysm.

Once she regained her composure, she grinned and said, "Youth never dies, even if the body gets older. You'll see?"

Either my grandmother was an ancient master of life; had tilted too far back in her rocker; or she knew something?

So if youth is for the wicked and it never dies, was she saying that we will always be wicked? Unfortunately she died before I could ask?

Is trading youth for wisdom an even trade? A youth looks forward to becoming older and having less restrictions, while an elderly person laments about being younger, and also having less restrictions.

Each stage brings its own freedom if we were restricted to a physical reality, but we are not.

Our Souls are ageless. Our spirits free. Our reason for living is to break the chains of spiritual limitations.

So is it safe to assume that my grandmother spoke in metaphors? By being wicked, did she mean limited? As long as we have spiritual limitations, we can never be free. How do we break the chains and liberate ourselves?

In society, youth is rewarded. Everyone wants the young. Companies want young employees. Hollywood wants young starlets. Magazines want young models, all in an effort to hang on to youth.

What happens when that youthful apparition disappears? Everyone is in a state of panic that they are getting older -- and that does nothing except undermine our morale throughout our lifetime.

Even when a baby dies, people are sadder than when an older person dies? Is it because we feel the baby never had a chance to live and the older person was 'ready' to die? Does being imbued with the idea of youth make our views askew?

As Soul, babies and the elderly may be on an equal footing. They may even be the same age. Ageism doesn't exist in the spiritual worlds. Our lives are orchestrated by God who guides our Soul's dance.

We each fulfill our contracts
with fate. Our bodies have an expiration date that is unchangeable and our Souls migrate to their next sonnet.

Souls don't celebrate birthdays in years,
they celebrates them in lifetimes.

The truth is that it is difficult to break the chains, but we can chip at them, hoping that they will eventually give way.

Instead of celebrating youth, why not celebrate days? The days we thought we would never survive? The days we thought would never pass. The days we hoped would never pass. The days we pray will never pass.

A birthday doesn't stamp another year on earth, it celebrates another day God has blessed us. Another day for gratitude. Another day of love. And love gives us wings to fly.

Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday to you all.