Birthday

My friend on her birthday last month got, what she calls, the best surprise party ever. She said she felt like a princess, and that her birthday means a lot to her. I'm sure one's birthday means a lot to everyone, because it does remind us of the day we came into existence. One's birthday also does mean a lot to one's family, friends, and maybe to some acquaintances, colleagues etc. Everyone related to the birthday person gather together to celebrate the day when the birthday person came into existence.
Now, a person, as skeptical as me would wonder, doesn't every next birthday makes a person a year older. Isn't it moving closer to death, having one year less to live?!
Birthday is all about optimism. From the age of 1, the older one gets, the broader one's life's horizons become. With every passing year, a person increments in his/her mind his/her age, he/she becomes more intelligent, mature, stronger, faster until the last days of youth, but becomes wiser with his/her every next birthday. Infancy, childhood, pre-teen, teenage, adulthood... as if with every next birthday, a person enters a new life, armed with previous experience and thrill to explore life ahead.

But certainly, birthday is the only individual festival that many celebrate. We celebrate birthdays of Mahatma Gandhi and few other famous historic figures, some mythological figures like Jesus Christ, Mohammad Prophet, Shri Krishna etc. and birthday of one's nation as well, called Independence day. Birthdays themselves give us so many holidays!

In conclusion, its birthday not bir-day, as sung by many while singing the famous birthday song. So, take a break, enjoy and have a ball on your birthday... and others... psst, don't forget to throw a great surprise party, filled with love and companionship.

P.S. - While blowing candles, why is one not supposed to speak his/her wish loud?
Because if one says it loud, others would know. :) It is supposed to be a secret.
P.S. - If I could somehow skip my birthday, i.e., jump over to the next day (a time travel thing), then would I not grow a year older, because its only on birthday that a person grows a year older, isn't it? :D Oops... forgot, it doesn't happen really... :( (people born on 29th Feb!)