Trick Candles Can Be Tricky

Remember when birthdays were a big deal? When you counted down the days with anticipation and nervousness. When you spent an entire day just trying to figure out what the theme of your party should be? When choosing the correct birthday invitation could take an hour. When making up your wish list was as easy as flipping through the Toys’R’Us catalogue. Is that stupid giraffe even around still; I think he was put on the endangered animals list? Remember rushing to greet everyone at the door? Not only to say hello and get a big hug, but also to make sure they brought a present that was brightly colored and uniquely wrapped. When we were young our birthdays were like national holidays; because everyone in our world stopped and took a moment to recognize how special and amazing we had become. Getting taller. Gaining cheekbones. Filling out. Shaping up. Everyone was focused on you for one amazing day. And no party was complete with out a huge frosted cake complete with candles. Then you made a wish for something fantastic; except when you got duped into trying to blow out those damn trick candles. There you are trying to concentrate on wishing for the next Pokemon starter pack and the freaking things won’t even go out. So much for that wish coming true. But what do we wish for these days? Please let this job interview go well. Please let me not fail this exam. Keep me sane until the weekend comes. Let this person call me back. Let this date go well. Please let my passion return. Our wishes have transformed and our national holiday has been trampled on.
We are the candles now; we are the part of the party that doesn’t want to flicker out. Since life is becoming one big overwhelming, exciting, tragic, never ending party we have to try really hard to make sure we do not fizzle out and end up melting all over the frosting. Birthday parties use to mean something because it was one day a year that moved with rhythm, that was fast paced, that was exciting and slightly overwhelming; well welcome to life, everyday is like that now. Everyday is a struggle to just survive to the end; make sure to greet everyone, say hello to everyone you know and especially to those you don’t know, make sure everyone is comfortable and doing alright, make sure you yourself is doing alright, make sure everyone has a drink in their hand, make sure the table is set and do not forget to walk everyone to the door when they finally decide to leave. It is very easy for us to get knocked down and trampled on; it is so easy for us to lose our spark, for our passion to be snuffed.
We have to do whatever it takes to make sure we stay lit and that we don’t end up becoming nothing but the smoke lingering in the air while the party continues on. Since the speed of life is unforgiving and does not allow second tries we are forced into making every moment our best. We take a lot of hard knocks, and have to endure a lot of bad blows, things that should leave us a puddle of colored wax; but instead of staying snuffed out we have to find a way to get lit up again. We have to be trick candles; we have to make sure our spark doesn’t go out.
So life has become one long party; roll your eyes if you want, but no one ever said all parties were good parties. We are required to stay lit throughout it all, despite how many times we get blown out. Take a moment to regroup; whether you have to dance it out, spend the night in a club, garner some random kisses, go for a run, call up a friend or actually have some cake. Do whatever it takes to make sure that you get lit again. Trick everyone into thinking you are done, but then come back more brilliant then before.