Happy Birthday to me
Yes, today is my birthday.
Level 37 unlocked.
Birthdays have always meant more to me than candles, cake and presents. I’ve always loved making this day feel special. Not because I wanted to be the center of attention, but because I wanted to create memories. The kind of moments I’ll look back on one day with a smile. Anyone who knows me knows that this day has always meant a lot to me.
And yet, this birthday feels different.
Maybe because, in my early twenties, I had a very clear picture of what my life was supposed to look like. I knew exactly where I wanted to be by the time I turned thirty, which goals I wanted to achieve and how I imagined my future.
The truth?
Almost none of it happened.
And you know what?
That’s completely okay.
A few years ago, that thought probably would have disappointed me. Today, I see it differently. Maybe because I’ve realized that life doesn’t really care about the plans we make in our twenties.
At some point, I started asking myself a question.
Why do we believe we have to achieve certain things by a certain age?
Who decided that life has to follow a schedule?
By thirty, you’re supposed to have found the right partner, maybe own a house, have children and be settled in your career.
By forty, you’re expected to be successful, financially secure and have everything figured out.
It always feels like there’s another deadline. Another expectation. Another box we’re supposed to tick.
And before we even notice, we stop celebrating our birthdays and start treating them like deadlines.
The older I get, the more I find myself asking why.
Maybe the plan I had back then was never really mine. Maybe it was simply the path you’re told is the right one. The sensible one. The one other people expect you to follow.
Deep down, though, I had always known what I really wanted.
I wanted to make music.
Maybe I had to turn 37 to finally understand that it’s never too late to take your own dream seriously.
Today, I wish for
good health.
People I can genuinely laugh with.
A career that doesn’t just feel like work, but like a calling.
Moments that stay with me forever.
A place that truly feels like home.
And the courage to follow my own path. Not the one other people think is right, but the one that feels right to me.
I don’t know what Level 37 has in store for me.
But for the first time in a long time, I no longer feel like I’m chasing an imaginary timeline.
Maybe life isn’t about achieving everything as early as possible.
Maybe it isn’t even about following the plan you made when you were twenty.
Maybe it’s about finding the courage to finally live the life that truly feels like your own.
And that’s exactly what I’m looking forward to.
We only have this one life. So be brave and do the things you truly want to do.
Happy Birthday to me.
– Janina –
Janina Gutsche 