I was on my knees in the kitchen, hand steady, the lights had just been switched off. I watched my nephew, Hunter Ferguson, as his face widened into a smile. I watched the candlelight glint in his eyes as he sat up. Then he did something I did not expect; he buried his face in his hands. Only hunter knows why.

If I had to guess I would have to say that he was too eager for the moment to blow out his three candles. I started thinking about my third birthday; I can’t remember it, but it happened. I got to thinking about my childhood and what affect it has had on me now. The joys we had as children excited to grow, and excited to learn.

I remember I was always in a rush to grow up. In hunter’s eyes there is no rush, no worry, just joy. It’s amazing how today as we get older birthdays become less important. After 21 they just fall off.

For kids, birthdays are whole day of extravaganza involving all of our closest friends and family. We would bludger pi�atas and dive face first into birthday cakes; the living room would be littered with the shreds of wrapping paper as we sifted through gifts. Anymore it’s just another day, or a chance to score a free meal. For a moment Hunter allowed me to break from my worries of being an adult and focus on what it meant to be a kid again.

Photo column by Jason Johnson