Birth Days

Episode Notes

This week’s poem and episode explore the myriad of emotions, memories, thoughts, and feelings that surface and coexist on our birthdays.

Though birthdays are often thought of and marketed as celebratory, this dismisses the many painful ways people encounter their birthday or the fact that not everyone’s experience includes cake, balloons, singing, friends, family, parties, and presents. As with any milestone, birthdays can be marked and haunted by emptiness and feelings that we haven’t accomplished or fulfilled our purpose enough (among other things). This poem attempts to reframe birthdays in a supportive way.

Here's an excerpt of the poem (the full written & visually formatted versions can now be found & read at mikbrew.substack.com!):

And I wondered, what if birthdays were every day rather than once a year?

If every day were one of birth?

Because more days for birth means more soil space for seasonal joy and the way it changes & charges us.

Listen to this week's episode to hear the full poem! If you’d like to share your moment or memory on the podcast, please head to tinyurl.com/bravingthewaves.