celebrate your birthday
Tala's admission from 25 lessons by 25 touched a chord:
I’m not usually one who celebrates my birthday, though I love celebrating my friends’ (Not a cynic! I just never cared enough).
Reminds me of how I "grew out of" celebrating my birthday. When that date rolled along, I wouldn't mention it to my friends. Instead, I waited to see if anyone had the awareness to remember my birthday and wish me a happy one. I don't remember that strategy working all that well. My own track record for remembering birthdates remains spotty, so I don't know what I was expecting from other people exactly.
My approach changed once a close friend nudged me toward and assisted me with organizing my own birthday celebration. For how scuffed executing those plans was, the company of trustworthy people that grew up beside me felt refreshing. I celebrated having made it another year on planet Earth with good friends. I celebrated making it that many years past whatever milestone I thought I wouldn't have made it to prior. However, my most impactful takeaway was realizing that I could just wrangle my friends together for a good time whenever they were available. I could carry the momentum of taking initiative, all without the authorization of a signed letter from someone else.
Even those most busy surviving their own lives make the time to hang out once in a while. It's time well spent recharging mutually beneficial connections, if not learning how to survive better. Getting together doesn't have to require much foresight either. Sometimes all you need is a lending hand, a listening ear, or just a comforting presence. Sometimes all you need is someone to stop by for a few minutes. Learning to accept the inevitable variance of outcomes, which don't always align with my best expectations, continues to improve me as a friend and a human being.
If I had to pick Tala's most poignant lesson that is relevant to my point, I would choose this one:
- Asking for things, plainly. You’ll be surprised at how many people are willing to give you what you need and more. Most people want to help. We just never ask.
Should you start caring enough to celebrate your birthday, you may surprise yourself with the treasures you find.