March is both my favorite and least favorite month of the year.  I enjoy it because of the college basketball madness that leads up to and includes the NCAA tournament. I enjoy basketball and there’s lots of it this month as Conference Tournaments begin and finally the “Big Dance” itself. For some teams it’s a nail biter as whether they are “in” or “out.” For others its a fight for the best seeding. There is always some Cinderella that makes an unexpected run in March. 

When in doubt, I pull for the underdog. It’s fun to see the unexpected prevail and the “big guys” take a fall.

On the other hand in the middle of March is my birthday. That stopped being a fun thing a long time ago. When we are young, birthdays are exciting. They signal the opening of exciting new chapters in life. Now I can go to school. Now I can date. Now I can drive. These chapters also signal new responsibilities but the young tend to focus more on the exciting possibilities and less on the new responsibilities. 

But at some point birthdays turn into a time of evaluation. There is some small excitement that I’ve made it through another year. But there is also the feeling that the years have piled up and I haven’t done that much. More importantly, maybe I haven’t done all that I should. There is an element of uncertainty. Like the March Madness teams, one starts to evaluate. We consider “wins” and “losses.” Then there are “good wins.” Those are the ones we expected to lose. Then there are “bad losses.”  Those are the ones we lost, when we were expected to win. It’s easy to start comparing. I may be “in” but I just made it as a 16 seed. I had the talent and resources to be higher, maybe even a 1. 

Maybe the key is to act like you did on the birthdays of your youth. Consider what new challenges open up in the year ahead and ask for God’s help in meeting the new responsibilities. Maybe it’s time to watch fewer games during the madness and get on the court. 

Be blessed.

Nick