19358

I like my birthday. I was born early in the year—on January 21.

While most people make their New Year’s resolutions in late December or early January, I get a small head start. I have about twenty extra days to slow down, feel where I actually am, reflect, and only then begin my year. It means starting a little later, but with a clearer sense of direction and fewer rushed decisions.

Around this time, I usually start a new journal. A thick notebook for thoughts, reflections, quotes, plans, and half-formed ideas. On the very first page, I always write down a few numbers.

This year, those numbers are:

19358
13514
10592

19,358 — the number of days left until January 21, 2079, my 90th birthday.
13,514 — the number of days that have passed since I was born.
10,592 — the number of days left until my 66th birthday, roughly the average life expectancy for men in my country.

Looking at the last two numbers, it’s hard not to notice something obvious: I’m already in the second half.

For me, these numbers are a daily reminder. Something close to the old Roman idea of carpe diem and memento mori. Not in a dramatic or gloomy sense, but as a quiet filter for everyday decisions.

They remind me not to waste time on trivial things.
To separate what matters from what doesn’t.
To remember that life is fragile, beautiful, and finite.

And to remember that life is beautiful and worth living as if each day were the last.