After spending a few nights at my grandparents and waking up to down-the-hall conversation instead of an incessant beeping, I finally curled into my own bed last night and fell into a well-deserved rest. Getting back to the blaring alarm should have been a little more disruptive, and perhaps it would have been, if today weren’t strangely special. When my alarm went off circa 8 am, I sprung out of bed, unsure at first, to where the sudden burst of energy had come from. Then I remembered: birthday.
Yes, it is my 21st birthday and this is a selfish blog post. Like every week when I sit down to write a blog, I feel like there are thousands of things I want to talk about. But of course, I would be remiss to not pause for a moment to recognize, not myself, but the people who make birthdays great.
To the family and friends who have taken the time to call, text, write, or otherwise get in contact with me today: thank you. There was a point earlier today when I realized I had been smiling so much my face actually hurt.
If you know me, you know I love birthdays. In middle school, I perfected a certain kind of self-made birthday card that, after a few years, was a staple in my friend group. In high school, I got into planning surprise parties and have since thrown over a dozen without a hitch. I love baking cakes for people and leaving notes in their mail. I love watching that moment as they pause and make a wish…
…which brings me to my next idea: wishes.
I have everything that I need surrounding me. Good friends, good family, good memories and lots of room to grow. I can wish for adventures, health, and happiness, but this year, I’m wishing for something more tangible.
I’ve heard it said that if you say your wish out loud it won’t come true. But perhaps breaking this rule is my only chance at success.
My wish is for kindness. If every single person who took the time to wish for my happiness today could take an extra half hour to complete some form of kindness for someone else, that would make today the happiest of birthdays.
Yesterday, I set up an official challenge on The Smile Project’s new Instagram account: thesmileprojectofficial. The challenge involved completing 21 Random Acts of Kindness and then posting pictures with the hashtag #21acts.
To my blog reading friends, consider this challenge fair game for you as well. Go out and make someone’s day—mine is already perfect. So when I blow out the ‘2’ and the ‘1’ on top of my carrot cake tonight, the happiness of strangers is all I will be thinking of.
Love always,
Liz
