I turned thirty in a hospital waiting room. Not mine — my father’s. He had been admitted two days before my 30th Birthday and the timing was what it was. I sat in a plastic chair under fluorescent lights, eating a vending machine sandwich, watching the clock tick past midnight into the morning of my … Read more
I almost did not celebrate my own birthday last year. Not because I was sad. Not because I was alone. Because somewhere along the way I had quietly decided that making a fuss about my own birthday was something other people did — people who were more comfortable with being seen, more comfortable with asking … Read more
“She knows.” That was the text I received from my cousin three hours before we were supposed to surprise his wife on her fortieth birthday. Forty people. Catered food. A venue booked two months in advance. A slideshow with photos going back to her childhood. She knew. Not because of the venue. Not because of … Read more