My phone showed three notifications before I was even fully awake. All three were birthday texts. All three said some version of “Happy Birthday! Hope you have an amazing day!” One of them had a balloon emoji. One had a cake emoji. One had both. I appreciated that people remembered. I did not feel particularly … Read more
I spent twenty minutes choosing the perfect birthday photo to send my sister. Found a beautiful one — warm lighting, cake with candles, exactly the aesthetic she loves. Downloaded it. Opened WhatsApp. Stared at the blank caption field for another ten minutes. The image was perfect. I had absolutely nothing to say with it. That … Read more
My college roommate was from Mexico City. Her birthday fell in early March and the first year we lived together I knocked on her door at midnight — the way her family always did back home — and said “Feliz cumpleaños” in what I was absolutely certain was a passable accent. She looked at me … Read more