April 5th, 2004. On this day a big-headed baby named Brooklyn was born. If you couldn’t tell, that baby was me which means it’s my birthday at the time of this coming out! Now I have never been a big over the top person regarding my birthday. My mom was the one who tried to make it better. By doing so she would allow me to invite over a few friends and some family members. We would gather around, eat my favorite dinner, and then eat ice cream cake. It was pretty nonchalant, but it was enough for me. It showed how much my family understood me because I try to stay chill about these things and be thankful for what I got.
Anyway, I have been doing this tradition for 18 beautiful years, but now this will be my first birthday without my family in person. At first, I didn’t really feel concerned about it; I mean it was what it was. Everyone goes through stuff like that and I was going to be in college. Of course, my mom wasn’t going to travel six hours, miss work, and bring a bunch of families to do so. I never would want that from her. But as my mom did bring up the date more and more, I found myself a bit somber. I didn’t express this of course because I wouldn’t want my mom to feel upset over something she can’t control you know? So I told my mother, “I’ll probably do something with my suite-mates or friends.” It was a fleeting comment, but as the date draws near, I found myself wondering WHAT THE HECK AM AM I GOING TO DO IN BLACKSBURG?
I mean I wanted to do something cool and big, something to show my mom that her daughter isn’t anti-social. I’m her more socially reserved child, so she was always concerned about me having a social life in college. That fear is completely valid because I don’t. (Mom I know you reading this and I am sorry to confess this to you). Anyway, my friends? My best friend since I was a baby is back at home, my other best friend is all the way in Utah, and my other friends I won’t get to see them until I start my internship at Disney. So yeah, no friends. I only have two friends here and I hang out with them literally every other day. This means I had to step up my birthday game. I couldn’t buy my ice cream cake this year or have my dinner chicken pasta, so I needed to make a plan. I needed to show something significant. It’s not every day you turn 19!
So, my options needed to come into play. Now, what even is there to do in Blacksburg? Sugar Magnolia? Been there done that. Insomnia Cookies? Not in the mood for it. Panda Express? That’s a normal weekday. McDonald’s? That’s every other day. What else would there be to do that wasn’t expensive and would be convenient for my two friends…. then I asked myself: why do I care about other people’s reactions to my birthday? It is MY birthday. So you know what? It’s Brooklyn time. This means my birthday will be with two amazing friends of mine and we are going to eat either Panda Express or some Mexican food. And to top off my birthday, I will call my mom at the end of the day. Why not? I don’t have to have something amazing.
I guess I was really worried about doing something special and having to prove that college was a success. But it is! I mean at least to me, and frankly, that’s all that matters. I think I was so worried about change that I was letting my fears make me anxious… but no more! So this story goes out to people who are low maintenance, anxious, and overthink their birthdays as I do. Make your birthday about you, forget expectations. It’s valid to want to be a bit melancholy on your birthday away from home.
