My 30th Birthday

I imagine myself writing this post at Santa Monica Pier while watching its famous sunset. It's past 8:00 PM, yet the sun is still at the horizon, spreading its rays and warmth to everyone. The sun cast its golden rays down upon the clouds of billowing smoke, turning them bright red; fire red. Moments later, the sky bled crimson, purple, and orange. It felt as if my soul was transported into a timeless existence, ready for the protective blanket of night and new dreams.

But here I am, stuck in the metro. Unable to move, unable to celebrate. All of the plans that I've had for this year had to be canceled. Everything had turned upside down–a hundred and eighty-degree turn. To be honest, no one came prepared for this one, including me. The global pandemic had indeed changed how I viewed life in general. It made me more sensitive to the plight of others, and it also made me grateful for those people who made my life easier. We always take for granted all those mundane and little things that we usually do, but today, we fail to realize how significant they are.

While I may not be celebrating my birthday abroad like what I used to, this birthday is a quiet day. It is my day to reflect on the year that was, and what is ahead to strive for. I guess it's a sort of a personal new year, one when resolutions and promises to the self can be made. This year, I plan to be bolder and to speak louder about the ideas I have just to make this world a better place. Perhaps, that extra bit of bravery, that extra bit of willpower and resolve, is the real gift to myself. I should be grateful that I'm still able to celebrate an important chapter of my life despite everything.

The sunset is merely a prelude to the dawn. Its majesty fills my mind with the most beautiful dreams. As my eyes drift to rest, I am one with the stars, my skin cooled by the breeze, and when I awake, the sky will be radiant with the first kiss of the new day.

Just like before.