Cheers to 25🚀

Sometime this week, I marked my 25th birthday. It was a day of reflection on my being and my purpose. The day began with calls from loved ones, well-wishers, and a ceremonial water dunking followed by a hide-and-seek game with my flatmates and neighbors.

By 10 am, I was overwhelmed with calls and presents started coming in, giving me a feeling of being loved and remembered. I don’t think there is a greater feeling on your birthday than being remembered and celebrated especially as people grow older and apart from each other physically and emotionally.

I would be lying if I said the day didn’t come with some anxiety. Every year, I get that feeling of dread as the day edges closer and I start to panic; have I done enough in the past year? will I be remembered just as much? will my favorite people show up or will it just be another regular day? Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one who feels the same way.

This year, there was something different. I had something to look forward to. A kind of coping mechanism for D-day. I found someone that was born on the exact same day as myself and it got me very excited. Sure, you meet people that share the same date every once in a while but this was different. We are the same age. We were born the same Friday, 25 years ago and it kind of made our relationship much better as we discovered similarities between ourselves and shared interests. Did I mention that we support the same football club?

Lessons have been learned and life will continue to happen and, I am eternally grateful for the friends I have for always reminding me of how much they love me and I can’t wait to pen another piece for chapter 26!