We need birthdays.

I love crazy, overenthusiastic celebration of birthdays. I'd even confidently say that I believe in celebrating birthdays. We need to. Humans are painfully imperfect, and often wait upon occasion to express themselves. Without birthdays, a lot of love would go unshared and words unspoken. I enjoy my friends' and family member's birthdays even more than my own. To think seriously over what would excite and surprise them the most is thrilling. Finding that perfect gift or activity gives you a serious case of the warm fuzzys. We all love people, we just need birthdays to push us into expressing it.

Today happens to be my day of birth. And do you wanna know the best part of today? Not the new dress, or notebook, cake or even ice cream, it was the kind, heartfelt text messages I received steadily throughout the day. It seemed like every time I pulled out my phone there were happy words staring back me. Not many people I was with today knew it was my birthday, but you guys did. Thank you for voicing your love. I felt it. The few moments you took to send me a message added up to make my homework filled day beautiful. I feel inspired to share love more freely and abundantly because of how good I felt today. No matter how good life might be going, or how confident someone may seem, we all need to be told we are loved and have desirable qualities now and again.

My dear Jess wrote me a particularly beautiful message that had my make-up cried off by the end of the first paragraph. Being told you are pretty, or stylish or cute is great and good and I thank you all for it. But when someone pens in thought out prose that you possess the very quailites you desire most to have, it moves something in you. Not to appear vain, but it helps you recognize them in yourself. The little things we dislike within us can easily bury the things we do. Sometimes the only solution is for someone else to dig us out. Thanks Jess.

Thank you everybody. I hope we can speak our love and then speak it again.