What do you say to someone whose birthday falls in the middle of the worst year of their life? I did not know the answer to that question until my friend Amara lost her father in February and turned thirty-four in October. I remember sitting with my phone open, the cursor blinking in an empty … Read more
It is 11:58 PM. You are lying in bed, the blue light of your phone screen illuminating your face in an otherwise pitch-black room. Suddenly, it hits you. It’s their birthday in exactly two minutes. You want to be the first one to say something, but your brain is currently a blank slate. You don’t … Read more
Think about that specific, slightly awkward moment we’ve all experienced: the lights in the restaurant go dim, a group of servers starts clapping in a rhythmic, albeit tired, way, and suddenly the entire room is looking at you. You sit there, frozen with a “half-smile” that feels more like a grimace, while a chorus of … Read more