How I Spent My Birthday and What It Taught Me
Today is my birthday. I didn’t have a party. I didn’t do anything big. On the surface, it was just another quiet day. I woke up and checked on my husband, who’s recovering from dengue. He was feeling better, which I was grateful for. We went out for breakfast at our usual place. I was happy he could eat normally again. We stopped by my favorite coffee shop, where I got a small birthday discount and some unexpected treats (biscuits and pudding from Japan). It was a sweet moment. Then we went home to rest. He needed it. I posted a video, replied to birthday greetings, fed my cats extra treats because it was my birthday and that felt right. In the evening, my family asked what we were having for my “celebration,” and I jokingly said we’d just do an online feast. I’ve never really been into big celebrations anyway, I can’t even remember the last time I had a birthday party. Nothing was wrong. And yet, as the day went on, I started to feel empty. As...
