There are so many situations you don’t even know would mean a big deal to you, till you explore. Discovering myself is something I did a lot last year, and I’ve been happy with the results so far. The prompt for this week asked for the one person I’d never forget and almost immediately, I remembered him.
My experience wasn’t particularly in school but since it’s in a way related to an aspect of schooling, it’s only right I share it. It was at the place where I interned. I was new there, so of course, I was still maintaining a low profile. It was my birthday on a Monday, so I went to work in the hopes that since no one knew it was my birthday, it was going to be a regular day at work.
However, I got to work, to find out that news of my birthday had been broadcasted to everyone, by someone I forgot to mute from seeing my status (And yes, I muted them all from seeing my status). So, everyone kept muttering their happy birthdays when I got to the office, and teasing me, if there was a birthday cake coming.
Everything escalated even more when my superior got a wind of it, and asked everyone to sing a happy birthday song for me. I’m not averted to dramatic displays, I just wasn’t too comfortable with them at the time, to be doing all that.
So, later in the day, when I was having a conversation with someone, and he asked me what I’d like him to get me for my birthday, i mentioned one of the things I’ve been planning to get for myself for a while. He casually said okay, and since it was such a busy day, I didn’t pay much attention to details of the conversation, and whether I had something to look forward to. I just believed he’d bailed out, after all not everyone was so generous.
I was surprised when he came to me at closing hours, and handed them over to me. I was so stupefied, that I stared at him, smiling and speechless. I’d always gone out of my way, to ensure I have fun on my birthdays. Hence, why I never paid much mind to the gifting aspect. Over the years, I’ve become so used to getting monetary gifts, that actually getting what I wanted, on my birthday was such a novelty. At that moment, my heart bubbled with childlike excitement, and I let him know just how grateful I was.
I never forgot that incident, and I doubt I ever will, cause he was the first person to make one of my birthdays memorable. If I were counting the best birthdays I’ve had so far, that’d definitely be a part of the list, thanks to him. I didn’t even know birthday gifts meant so much to me, till he turned up that day, and left me smiling unabashedly at having received a gift.
Birthdays are days I cherish so much. I go out of my way to ensure I’m happy. I make sure to take pictures that day, eat well, and simply be happy. Most times, we don’t really know what’s out there, till we get a taste of it. I got a taste of how it feels getting a gift on my birthday, and I must say ‘it felt good’.
So, if you’re reading this, start asking your loved ones what they want for their birthdays, or you can curate something thoughtful. Just ensure to make someone happy this year, as birthdays are meant to be cherished, and everyone deserves to be celebrated.
Thanks for reading.
Images are mine.