Hi, how are ya?
I'm doing well, thanks for asking. Today is my birthday and I wanted to share some thoughts and aspirations with future me. My hope is that you will forget about this soon (you have a tendency to) and on November 20th, 2023, you will receive a notification linking you to this post.
As usual, you spent the day in relative normalcy. You have always said that your birthday is "just another day," and that you don't make a big deal out of it. In reality you can't help but to expect special treatment and attention of some sort. That's not a bad thing, but it's also not the point I'm trying to make here. This year you did not care about the attention.
I can remember vividly the feeling of checking my phone every time a notification came up.
"5 friends posted on your timeline"
"12 friends posted on your timeline"
"39 friends posted on your timeline"
And so on and so forth. Unhealthy phone habits aside, I want to reiterate that there is nothing wrong with being excited about this. It's comforting to be remembered by friends, whether they are from lifetimes ago or hogging up the forefront today. The reason I bring this up is because today really highlighted the unconditional love and support in my life.
In the past 24 hours you have received the lowest amount birthday wishes in recent memory, yet you feel more loved and appreciated than ever. Last night you spent the day with family, and celebrated with a big dinner. All your close friends left a message, whether they lived a couple of blocks away or were across the country. You had cake and bubble tea delivered to you, and direct messages with lighthearted feelings and appreciation.
You wonder what you have done to deserve this. For each person that has made this day special for you, you rack your brain on what you have done to warrant their kindness. This way of thinking is worrisome - friendship is far from transactional - but it's a part of your nature. You feel guilty and worry that you don't treat your friends nearly as well as you should.
That brings you to the me right now. You and I, we're going to try our best to show our friends that we care about them. If life after school has taught you anything, it's that friendships are fleeting, so it's important to treat them with care and make the effort to show up. I hope that in a year's time you can confidently say that you reached this goal and many others.
