Thirty-Seven and the Bang

It was my 37th birthday, and as I inched closer to my 40s, I went into this birthday happier than I have been in years. The dark days and drunken nights were becoming a more distant memory with each passing day, and the weight of my sister’s death wouldn’t haunt me as severely this year. I had more than a year of sobriety under my belt, my family life had drastically improved, and my career was exactly where it needed to be. All I could feel on this day was thankful. Thankful to my sister Angie, who had been a beacon of light for me my entire life. Although she wasn’t around to witness this grand rising, I truly felt that she was looking down at me, assuming the role of a guardian angel, pushing me through the obstacles that had shaped the very fiber of my being. I never grew up celebrating birthdays, so I made sure to tell my wife to not make a big deal of it. I wanted to spend my birthday doing one thing, writing for Dominate The Globe. As I made my way to my office chair, I caught a whiff of the unmistakable scent of a birthday cake, hidden somewhere within our cozy home. Of course, she’d find a way to sneak in a birthday cake, and after she and my daughter would sing me a happy birthday song, we’d share the cake amongst each other, enjoying each other’s company for a brief moment. The cake was small, yet delicious. The candles flickered, casting shadows on their smiling faces. As we savored each bite, the delicate flavors reminded me of the sweet victories of the past year – hard-earned and richly deserved. Afterward, I returned to work, crafting my life story into the blog that would give me the gift that I truly wanted: to be successful. I had spent so many years trying, falling, crashing hard, that I had to pinch myself on a daily basis: a firm reminder that I wasn’t dreaming, but in fact, had pulled myself out of the depths of despair and clawed my way back toward the top of the mountain. The keyboard hummed beneath my fingertips, my thoughts pouring out into words that danced across the screen. The years of pain, suffering, and ultimately, redemption unfolded before me, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. On this, my 37th birthday, I reflected on the journey that had led me here. The once-haunting memories of broken glass and tear-soaked pillows now served as a foundation for the man I had become. Every word I wrote, every story I shared, stood as a monument to those who had helped me along the way, and those who continued to guide me from afar.