The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.
Michel de Montaigne
This December 6th Finland celebrates 95 years of independence.
In country-years that may not be much, but she's one tough yet sweet lady at almost a century, and I've never been prouder to be Finnish.
Another celebration on December 6th is the anniversary of my baptism years ago, and I think the above quote applies to such a decision and celebration as much as it applies to gaining independence from another ruler, as it applies to simply standing on your own two feet and living your life for you. A baptism is an interesting thing - you're in a way finding yourself - in that moment, you feel that you've found "it," and you're in peace with your innermost thoughts and feelings, if just for a moment. Yet, by some definition, you're "dying to yourself" and giving the reign of your life to something intangible that you feel deserves it. That you feel is a part of you, yet is something much much bigger. Well, I don't necessarily have much to say about what that decision caused in my life or how defining it was or what a right or wrong choice it was at the time, but I'm glad I have this day to think about it. To celebrate it. To celebrate not being bound by it, yet allowing it to be a part of me.
I'm glad that on this day that I celebrate my home-country's 95th birthday, I also get to celebrate the insight I've gained along the years in not only embracing my baptism years ago, but embracing it so that it's a part of me, and not the other way around...as in..through it I and my independence and my identity and my decisions - whether in some way fitting or unfitting - drowned in a sea of something much much much larger.
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