On September 25th, I turned 28 and although I don’t think every birthday deserves a blog entry, I think that writing about 28 would be a little different. When I was growing up as a teenager, I really enjoyed rock music and pop culture. Due to this I was aware of artists like: Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Basquiat, Amy Winehouse, Kim Jong-Hyun, and many others having passed away at 27. I don’t know, I guess in an effort to romanticize my boring life, I always thought that if I ever did anything spectacular, then I too, would die at 27. I don’t even know what that spectacular thing would be – maybe pushing a child out of the way of a speeding car, or taking a bullet for a friend in a night club incident – I don’t know, just my imagination running rampant as it does.
I think that when I was younger, I was just hoping for my life to be significant, at all. I remember in grade 10 science class with Mr. Budge – we did a unit on space and he put it in perspective just how small we are relative to the universe and at that moment I realized “wow none of this matters.” Which I know is morbid but also the reality of things. If I died at 27, having done something spectacular in my life, at the very least people would remember me for a little longer after I had passed. Also as a kid, I would have hoped that at 27 I would have done something noteworthy by then besides just working a lot, spending 95% of my time alone, and just overall being a loser.
What’s the rush though. 28 is just a number, it’s just a year, it’s just another trip around the sun. And the reality is that I’ve got tons of time. And when I really look back and examine things, I think about the friends that I’ve made, the things that I’ve accomplished that a young Baron would not have even imagined for himself, and how sometimes life plays out like a movie for me . . . things aren’t as awful as they seem. I guess that I’m trying to put in perspective that I don’t need to sacrifice myself for a baby in a burning building at 27 to make my life significant and worth anything. If anything, it’s a way better movie if I save the baby and survive the burning building. Maybe then I’d have better luck with women. I probably wouldn’t 😅.
I just need to take things day by day. I just need to be better at doing my best on the day that I’m alive. I need to make sure that I leave places the same or better when I leave them and to do the same with people. The only thing that I need to be significant in my life is me. As an agnostic person, I can tell you right now, I am the only thing I believe in. And if you’re reading this and you’re feeling insignificant or aimless, just know that you can always believe in me because I’ll believe in you for you. I just know that 28 is going to be a great year and maybe I’ll even get a little more handsome, that would be super cool.
