Photo credit: kevin dooley via Foter.com / CC BY

“I don’t celebrate birthdays. So that stops me from counting days, so that stops me from counting time which allows me to still look the same as I did 10 years ago.” — Prince

Prince made this comment to a Dutch TV host in 1999. It’s worth watching the clip to enjoy the sass with which he says it:

Nevertheless, I don’t agree with this age-defying solution. Despite Prince’s great ability to keep his youthfulness, I am not one to accept ignorance is bliss.

Those who know me well know that my unwillingness to “stop counting” extends beyond birthdays. I am not someone who will ignore a problem. I’d much rather worry it to death, trying to anticipate every possible angle and be prepared for any worst-case scenario.

Acknowledging this, I do think that perhaps Prince was on to something bigger. It’s not whether or not we pay heed to birthdays, but rather whether or not we’re willing to live each day without worrying about what happens next or what came before. That’s what I think he was getting at anyway. That point of view does make sense to me.

Of course, just because something makes sense doesn’t mean it is any easier to put it into practice. If I could just stop worrying because I said to myself “stop worrying” everyone around me would likely be happier too.

Still, I can take this little moment of Prince nostalgia, and the ruminations (a.k.a. ramblings) of this particular blog as a reminder to take it a little easier on me. After all, ironically, it is on my birthday when I am best able to let things go…(well, except for people forgetting my birthday — I notice that!). So, the one day of the year when I am closest to the state of being Prince embraced is the same day of the year he shrugged off. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

In the meantime, yes, I am still going to count down to my birthday — it is now less than 4 months away!

Prince Rogers Nelson, died in 2016, at the age of 57. I’ll wrap this up with one of my favorites from him: