There is still no cure for the common birthday.

Opening Scene – Narrated by Host

The room was dim, the quiet hum of the city outside muffled by the thick curtains drawn across the window. Jack sat at the kitchen table, his fingers lightly tapping on the surface as he stared at the calendar hanging on the wall. The date circled in red caught his eye—a reminder of another year passing, another birthday approaching. He had always been ambivalent about birthdays, the way they seemed to mark time in a way that felt both celebratory and heavy at once.

Jeeny entered the room with a warm smile, holding two cups of coffee. She placed one in front of Jack, noticing the thoughtful look on his face.

Jeeny: “You’ve been staring at that calendar for a while. What’s on your mind?”

Jack looked up, a wry smile spreading across his face as he took the coffee from her.

Jack: “I was just thinking about something John Glenn once said. He said, ‘There is still no cure for the common birthday.’ And honestly, he’s got a point. The whole idea of birthdays can feel a little… outdated sometimes, don’t you think? We mark another year, and it’s almost like we’re supposed to celebrate, but it often just feels like another reminder of time passing.”

Jeeny sat down across from him, the humor in his voice not lost on her. She leaned back in her chair, her eyes softening with understanding.

Jeeny: “It’s funny, isn’t it? How birthdays are this thing we all look forward to, but when they arrive, they often feel like a moment of reckoning—like, oh wow, here’s another year, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. It’s supposed to be about joy, but there’s something about it that makes us more reflective, sometimes even a little uneasy.”

Jack: “Exactly. It’s as if birthdays come with this built-in pressure. You’re expected to celebrate, but also, to somehow feel accomplished, or as if you’ve reached some milestone. But when you really think about it, it’s just another day in the cycle of life. It’s not a cure for anything, but just a reminder of what’s already happening—time moving forward.”

Host: The conversation settled in the air, the humor of John Glenn’s words lifting some of the weight that came with birthdays. It was true—birthdays, in all their pomp and circumstance, didn’t really solve anything. They didn’t change anything about who you were, what you had achieved, or what you still had to do. They simply marked the passage of time, which was both inevitable and unavoidable.

Jeeny: “I guess that’s the thing about birthdays. We treat them as milestones, but they’re really just markers, aren’t they? It’s not about having everything figured out in that moment. It’s about what we do with the time we have, not what we think we should have accomplished by a certain age.”

Jack: “That’s exactly it. And maybe that’s where the real joy of birthdays comes in—not from the expectation of celebrating some big achievement, but from the opportunity to appreciate where we are, to embrace the moment, and to just be thankful for the journey so far. The pressure to feel accomplished can take away from what the day is really about—taking stock of where we’ve been and where we’re going.”

Jeeny: “Right. It’s like we make birthdays into this big event, but really, it’s just a reminder to pause. To take a breath, to appreciate the people around us, and to recognize how much we’ve grown—no matter how old we are or what we’ve achieved.”

Host: The room felt a little lighter now, as if the weight of time had been lifted just a little. Jack leaned back in his chair, the realization settling in that birthdays weren’t about some grand milestone or curing the passage of time—they were about honoring the present, appreciating the moments we had, and accepting that time, in its own way, was always moving forward.

Jack: “You know, maybe John Glenn had it right after all. There’s no cure for the common birthday, because it’s not meant to be cured. It’s just a chance to reflect, to enjoy the present, and to look ahead. It’s not about reaching a certain point, but about appreciating the journey.”

Jeeny: “Exactly. It’s not about achieving something by a certain age—it’s about living, learning, and growing with each year that passes. And honestly, that’s something worth celebrating, even if it’s just in a quiet, personal way.”

Climax and Reconciliation

The soft hum of the world outside continued, but inside, Jack and Jeeny had found a quieter, more peaceful understanding of birthdays. They weren’t about expectations or pressure—they were about appreciating where they were in life, reflecting on the past, and embracing the future with gratitude. Time may march on, but in that quiet moment, they realized that birthdays, in all their simplicity, were a reminder to appreciate the life they were living, just as it was.

Jack: “Maybe it’s not about finding the cure for the common birthday. Maybe it’s about embracing it, accepting it, and making it our own.”

Jeeny: “Exactly. And in doing so, we turn it into something that’s truly meaningful.”

Host: The conversation drifted into a comfortable silence, the understanding that birthdays didn’t need to be more than what they were: simple markers in the journey of life, offering a chance to reflect, appreciate, and celebrate the beauty of the present. Outside, the world continued its rhythm, but inside, Jack and Jeeny had found peace in accepting the passage of time for what it was. A journey—unfolding, year by year.