I love birthdays. They’re a great way to tell the people you love most in the world how much you care about them. I used to go all out for birthdays, especially my brother’s because it fell in the middle of summer break.
My birthday, however, has always fallen at an inconvenient time– April 30. It’s in the middle of exams, graduation plans and final concerts. Who can find time to celebrate a friend when times are crazy? Luckily, two years ago, I devised a plan based on 4 key factors:
- My birthday is in the middle of exams, when everyone is stressed and in the library
- I am an arts and crafts gal who never finds time to do any arts or crafts
- I love brightening others’ days
- People love sweets and sweet gestures.
With these ideas in mind, I set out to make the ultimate birthday plan: making cards and candy to give stressed people in the library. My birthday guests/helpers could come and go as they pleased since studying was priority #1 that day. After card making, we would deliver them and then go get YoPo*.
*For those of you who are unfortunate enough to not know what YoPo is, it’s the best Frozen Yogurt in the world and it’s found on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.
The first year it worked wonderfully, about 10-15 people came and helped me put candy and motivational messages onto colored paper. The best part was handing them out. We slid them on tables and walked away as if we were little finals fairies. It felt great.
Last year, however, it was a bit less successful. Never have I ever felt so lonely. I thought I was doing the cards to give them out, but I learned that a major component of the equation was spending time with the people that mean the most to me. Even though I understood why they weren’t there, it was still hard to shake the feeling that I wasn’t worth a 15-minute study break.
This year, I’m trying to focus on more productive mindsets. I know that its finals and I know that’s a hard time for everyone. I’m not perfect and I have to remind myself that not everything is about me. Yes, even on my birthday. Even if this day can’t be about me spending time with the people I care about, I want to make a difference in someone’s day. That’s exactly what I plan to do.
Birthdays are a great chance to celebrate you, but also a great chance to celebrate all that you can do. For me, nothing makes me feel better than making other people smile. I firmly believe that people should celebrate their birthdays by partaking in the activities that bring them the most joy. Maybe that means sipping tea and reading a book. Maybe that means an impromptu trip somewhere. Or maybe, like me, it means you should take some time to add a moment of happiness to someone’s day. It’s a great way to find some magic in life.
That being said, you should drop by my card making this year! I’ll be on campus (location TBD) with paper, scissors, markers, tape and candy ready to start crafting at 12 p.m. Take a lunch break and take a moment to do something sweet for a stranger. Please share my Facebook Event with potential new friends!
Can’t make it in person? Comment a motivational message and I’ll make sure someone gets it.
What do you do to celebrate your birthday? Let me know in the comments!
See ya real soon,
Annie
Annie Proctor 