Memento Mori

I’ve never been a huge birthday guy. The day seemed to come and go when I was growing up and in my college and post-college years, it was more an opportunity to drink. Heavily. There were a lot of fun times but unfortunately do not remember many of them. 

As I’ve gotten older and a little more mature (hopefully!), birthdays have taken on more significance. They are a reminder that another year has passed and also an opportunity to spend quality time with friends. Since becoming a dad, I’ve found it much harder to carve out time for my friends so I am much more appreciative and grateful when I do have that opportunity.  

There is an old Latin phrase Memento mori which means “Remember death”. It’s a reminder of the inevitability of death and the fact that we are all dying. The only thing guaranteed for all of us are life, death and the passage of time.

Memento mori is always in the back of my mind as I decide how I want to spend my time. The average U.S. lifespan is ~80 years so I only have 50 or so left. That’s ~2,500 weeks or ~18,000 days. Hopefully more, maybe less, but definitely finite. Don’t waste it.

34 isn’t one of those milestone birthdays but for me it marked the end of an incredible year headlined by the arrival of our son and significant personal growth. Excited to see what the year brings!