Have a Happy Birthday! | by Tanya Budhrani
“Is it really your birthday if you didn’t cry during it?” is a popular internet meme that surfaced a little while back.However, looking back on it, it is important to ask ourselves just how much truth this meme holds in our lives. Birthdays are meant to be a joyous celebration, one that we look forward to, counting down from 364— but, somewhere along that count, it gets to a point in time where we are inevitably hit with this abrupt wave of sadness that we cannot seem to shake. Not to mention the fact that we are confined to our houses until this deadly virus shows itself out. What a party pooper, right? While raves are out of the question, there are other ways for you to enjoy your birthday at home, and hopefully they will be enough to fend off those vexatious tears on what would, otherwise, seem like the best day of the year.
On the heels of ‘best days,’ what was yours? A fun birthday idea would be to try to “recreate” something you’d consider to be your ‘best day.’ Fingers crossed they spark happy tears instead of anything otherwise. And if your once best day ever requires you to go outside and interact with others (which we all know is impossible at this time), no need to fret because we’ve got a couple more ideas up our sleeve. Another great idea would be to hold an online party for yourself; send your friends the Zoom code and tell them to prepare those LED lights we’ve all seen on TikTok in order for you to have your very own virtual rave! Not in the mood for flashing lights? Why not try settling down with a good book and a cup of coffee-- as we jump from birthday to birthday, not only do our bodies grow older, but so do our minds; use your birthday as a catalyst through which you can deepen your intellectual thought. Or you could binge watch anime and come out of your birthday being able to recite Kakegurui word for word. It’s up to you, we’re just here to make sure that you have the happiest day you could possibly have.
We understand that birthdays are a bit overwhelming, a whole year has passed, you’re getting older, but this doesn’t necessarily have to seem like a bad thing. Getting older means that you’re becoming more mature: you can think for yourself, steer your career in the right direction, finally pay off that mortgage (I don’t really know who my target audience is here). The bottom line is, growing up isn’t something you should fear, rather it is something you should embrace. because after all, you’re only going to have so many birthdays. Dye your hair, get a tattoo, start casually posting on social media; this is a new beginning, a new chapter in your life, wouldn’t you want to start it off on a good note?