Today is September 27, 2026. It is officially Dave Matthews Band day in Charlottesville, VA USA. It is also National Chocolate Milk Day, Gold Star Mother’s and Family Day, The National Day of Forgiveness, National Crush a Can Day, National Scarf Day, and National Corn Beef Hash Day. It is also the final day of the Major League Baseball’s 2026 regular season. There is a cloud over this, as we are unsure of the labor issues facing the league for 2027. Today is the annual running of the Quad City Marathon which shuts down most of the downtown region of my city. It also happens to be the anniversary of my birth.

It really is just another day. I have found my birthday to be a casual annoyance. It interrupts the flow of what needs to be done for the sake of pleasantries. All I really desire (everyday) is to spend time with my family and the dogs doing what needs to be done. That could be basic chores, a larger project, helping others, teaching, or just watching a baseball game and meeting friends for a meal and fellowship… just enjoying the small things… …within another day…

I have reflected over the years to try to determine why I find holidays and birthdays to be a mild annoyance for me. My childhood birthday celebrations were overshadowend by other birthdays in the family. We always gathered for a group celebration, exchanged some cards, or gave some small gifts, and wrapped it around the church service of the day. Nothing special, no childhood friends, group games, or even a theme. Definitely no bouncy house with the family smoking meat for a glorious feast like some people did at the nearby park yesterday… No special days… …just another day… …serving others…

Holidays were more for the adults than the children in my familial culture. Now that they have all passed away, I don’t feel like making it about myself. I want to make it about my children. As they grow up they find other distractions to occupy themselves on a holiday. This could be work, social events with their peers, or something with their mother. I accept this situation, as I remember life as a teenager with an influx of freedom and autonomy that I never had as a child. When I do see my children I embrace the specialness of it. …This respect of autonomy and freedom reinforces that this is just another day…

I awoke this morning at 7:00 a.m. (I slept in 90 minutes,) and took care of the dogs, made coffee, and began the normal routines of the day. As I sat outside briefly awaiting the dogs to take care of business, I watched the immediate world around me go through its routines of the day. I watched a squirrel run down the power line towards the South in the twilight sun. I heard the birds in the neighbor’s cedar tree singing and chattering while they awaited their turn at the bird feeders. A couple of vehicles drove by on our street to the West, and in the distance I could hear the cars crossing the government bridge to the Rock Island Arsenal. I also faintly heard the sound of a train horn to the Northeast. I imagine it was heading upriver toward Dubuque, IA. The routines of animals and others going about …another day… with no knowledge of anything in the first paragraph.

The days are getting shorter as we have passed the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. The Earth is still orbiting its star, and the myriad of life on this planet is going about its business trying to survive. There will be deaths today, and births today as the cycle of life continues. Money will exchange hands, as the churchgoers drop their tithes off in the offering bowl, or buy fuel, eat brunch, or shop. Most will center their day around themselves with a feeling of self-importance to celebrate the end of their weekend. Then there will be a lot of football and baseball watching today, as they try to forget about the world around them for a moment… …just another Sunday…

I don’t feel alone. I am just humbled by how insignificant my presence is within this world. If I were to disappear, everything would carry on as normal as it did before my birth. My impact on the world around me is minimal at best. My relationships with people are warm and caring. …but in the scheme of the planet it is just routine… …an another day…

I don’t find this depressing either. I find it deferential. I am in awe at how small I am, and everything is. I chuckle at how others feel they are more important than everyone around them. I laugh at the selfishness, and envy they practice. Do they really feel blessed by a god as chosen and special? Is this a special kind of narcissism at work? I see my existence as a privilege, nothing more. It reinforces my …another ordinary day… feeling…

There is a stark beauty to this passivity. I find it peaceful, I appreciate each breath. The music I listen to, sounds different when I devolve to this mindset. There is a richness that overwhelms me while listening to the music of composers and songwriters living and dead. These little postcards that will or have outlived them. Does this art really matter to the planet? No, it really doesn’t. It matters to us that perceive the art… …but the world goes about itself… like an ordinary day…

Consciousness and self-awareness are a funny thing. We infer meaning… we respond to actions around us… like a dog seeking a scratch… How do we use this self-awareness or consciousness? …for good…for power…for greed…for oppression… I appreciate the ability to stand back and observe, reflect, and plan, support, and do… …for another day…

No, I do not seek pity. I do not seek attention negatively or positively. I’m attempting to dictate a sense of selflessness or an objective disconnect from my human emotional weaknesses. My feelings or being are less important than those that I care for. I feel my greatest gift is the opportunity to step back, give to others whether they are human or animal, to help everyone live another day… …better than the day before… …to raise them up… …with this I find purpose and joy for another day…

So as the people around me celebrate the anniversary of my birth I will give thanks. I do appreciate the sentiment and love that comes with it, despite my discomfort with the attention. In the cosmic reality we all face where time is relative to our perceptions… …its just another day…

…so it goes…