“With mirth and laughter, let old wrinkles come”- William Shakespeare.
Today, I am a year older. Just a week ago I was in my mother's arms, cooing softly as I gazed into her face. Last week, I was holding my father's hand, taking small, fragile steps. And just yesterday, my siblings surrounded me, watching in delight as I made cute faces and babbled excitedly, with chocolate staining my mouth. And in what feels like the blink of an eye, I've grown from the innocent little boy who'd run around the house with chocolate-smeared lips, as my mom watched my steps, my siblings looked in awe and my dad watched from afar, seeing how far I could go. Today, I have grown into a man. A man with wisdom in his heart and mind. An intelligent person. A man who has learnt to love and be loved.
Looking back, I have never written a birthday post until today. I have seen many Februarys come and go. Many February 14ths, but they were just ordinary days. I remember during my high school days, I always made sure I remembered my close friends’ birthdays and got them something nice. I was more on the giving end and rarely on the receiving end. I could save money for months just to surprise my friends on their birthdays, but on mine, I’d stay indoors, replying to messages and living my day as if it were any other day, not my birthday. However, this year, I decided to do something different. I came up with a brilliant idea. Birthdays are special, so why not treat yourself to something nice?
I'd never gotten anything for myself on my birthday, and I’m glad I thought of that idea. A few months ago, I was skeptical about doing this. But as each day passed, and I saw people celebrating their birthdays, the idea of celebrating mine, in my own way, became more pronounced until it became a full-fledged plan. I spent days thinking about this: “What should I get for myself on my birthday?” I have a chess set already, and getting another one would be unnecessary. I finally settled on getting myself books. As a book lover, nothing beats getting yourself nice-covered books on your birthday. I shared this idea with Hopestylist, Jhymi, and some of my other friends, and they liked it, which gave me the motivation to proceed with the plan. And every now and then, I kept hammering it to myself, “I will buy books for myself on my birthday.”
For the first time, I got something nice for myself on my birthday. More importantly, I got something I love- books! I love the smell of new books. Two days ago, I went to the bookstore, and out of the many shiny books that kept whispering to me to pick them, three got my attention. “As Old As Time” by Liz Braswell. “The Dead” by Charlie Higson and “What Monster” by Tom Gates. Now, here’s where things got interesting. I got and paid for three books. It wasn’t until I left the bookstore that I realized the woman had mistakenly packed 4 books instead of the 3 I paid for. Although I had gone far, I went back to return it. She was so happy that I did and did something nice for me. As I was about to walk out of the store, she called me back and asked me to pick any book of my choice, which she would give me for free. She didn't even know I got the books for my birthday. I find it really heartwarming when people do something thoughtful for me. The fact that I'd never met her before that day made it even more special. Now, I have 4 new books to add to my library.
Today, as I celebrate my birthday, I say a big thank you to people who have contributed to my growth, particularly my parents and siblings. They watched me as I crawled, took my first steps, and started walking. Not only am I their child and sibling, but also their work of art as they have shaped me to become who I am today. Thank you to my beautiful friends on Hive who have contributed to my growth in one way or the other. Thank you, Hopestylist, Jhymi, Deraa, Abenad, Bipolar, Burlaj, Quduus1, Vickoly, Nkem, Princess, Merit, Mayor, Treasure, Hasan, B0s, Olujay, Drey and my other Neoxian City friends.
Special thank you to 
Happy birthday to me! Happy Valentine’s Day!❤️