Celebrating a Birthday, Rediscovering Paradise

Celebrating a Birthday, Rediscovering Paradise

This past week was special. I celebrated my birthday twice, first at a quiet dinner last Tuesday with friends and then yesterday at San Juanito, a beautiful vineyard here in Querétaro. Both gatherings felt easy and joyful, filled with connection, laughter, and those lovely moments where time seems to slow down.

There was nothing elaborate or formal about either occasion. Just food, wine, and good company. But as I sat there, first at dinner and then later surrounded by vines and the soft (if not chilly) breeze and a mini tormenta at San Juanito, I couldn’t help but reflect on how much these simple moments echo the heart of Paradise (re)Discovered, the next book once I complete the 20th anniversary edition of A Life Aligned.

A birthday is such an easy occasion to get caught up in expectations: what it should look like, how it should feel, who should be there, whether it’s “enough.” I've never been much of a fan. But really, I am now learning, if we let all of that go, we can drop into something far more meaningful. A birthday, or any day for that matter, can be a quiet chance to honor how far we have come, who we have become, and maybe even who we have always been, beneath all the stories we have learned to tell about ourselves.

At San Juanito, I noticed how La Peña de Bernal rises quietly in the distance, a sacred monolith that has watched over these lands for millennia. There is something humbling and grounding about celebrating in its presence. It felt as though the land itself, with its history and spirit, was joining us at the table. Paradise was not just a feeling but something we were held by, something ancient and enduring.

This is at the core of what I am exploring in  Paradise (re)Discovered. Paradise is not something new we must search for. It is a rediscovery, a return to that part of ourselves that has always known how to simply be. Before the world told us how we should act, think, succeed, or even celebrate a birthday.

That is what this week has really been about for me. Celebrating not with grand gestures but by quietly receiving what was already there: friendship, joy, presence, authenticity. When we meet life as it is, gently and openly, the right conditions have a way of showing up too.

So here is a small invitation. Let yourself notice today. Whether you are celebrating something or just living an ordinary day, notice what is around you. The people, the light, the air, the quiet strength of a place like La Peña de Bernal, and the way you feel when you stop trying to make it anything other than what it is.

That is paradise. Not out there, not someday. Right here, right now.

With gratitude and anticipation,
Dr. Mark A. Arcuri
Querétaro, MX