birthday.
As my birthday came to an end on May 25, 2026, I realized something beautiful. It was the first birthday where I didn’t cry. Instead, I felt everything all at once: that I am alive, and that I am deeply loved.
It was in the simple things. In my parents allowing me to stay out until 10 PM. In the way my students made me feel appreciated and remembered. In the way my friends treated me with so much warmth and care. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, it finally occurred to me that at some point in my life, I became deeply loved by the people around me.
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I realized that sometimes, the things I fear the most only exist inside my head. Sometimes I become so consumed by my thoughts that I start turning them into realities before they even happen. But maybe life is not meant to be lived in fear all the time. Maybe it is meant to be fully felt, to allow yourself to exist and take up space, because there are people who will give that space to you without you even asking for it.
I used to be afraid of socializing because I cared too much about how people perceived me, how I looked, how I sounded, or whether I was enough. I became so focused on those thoughts that I forgot something important: I am still lovable, and I am still myself in the best ways possible. There are people willing to accept me for who I truly am without asking me to change or compromise pieces of myself.
You are not always your thoughts. Sometimes, you just have to live in the moment without worrying about everything all at once. Sometimes, being present is enough.
