Yesterday, July 31st, was perhaps my favorite holiday of the year: Harry Potter's birthday. If you're anything like me, the "Harry Potter" series was your life growing up. I read the first one when I was six and I spent the next six years (im)patiently waiting for each book and movie to premiere. I attended every midnight premiere, had every piece of merchandise and could quote every line when conversation permitted (and when it didn't).
In honor of this happy day (we even had a Snapchat filter to celebrate), here are five things every "Harry Potter" fan needs to thank the Chosen One for.
1. Thank you for giving us hope.
Be honest: the night before your 11th birthday, you couldn't sleep because you spent the entire night praying that Hogwarts was real and you'd wake up to the sound of an owl tapping on your window, holding in his beak your acceptance letter. Even when that day came and passed, you never lost that hope. Every mysterious occurrence could easily be proof of a magic world.
2. Thank you for teaching us how to stand up for ourselves.
Harry and his friends never failed to provide a sassy comeback or question the norm. While they continuously got themselves into trouble, they always stood up for what they believed in and never backed down. Even though we don't need to stand up to an evil wizard dictator, we do need to stand up to our own personal bullies, big or small.
3. Thank you for your world.
Between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, Harry introduced us to a whole other world. Now, thanks to Universal Studios, we can step into the Potter world and it is everything we dreamed of and more. When I was younger, Harry's world was a refuge. Now, it is a reality and adult me says thank you. There's nothing like sipping a Butterbeer and walking through Diagon Alley to bring out your inner child.
4. Thank you for not being perfect.
Harry Potter. You are the most self-doubting, stubborn, angry, masochistic hero I have ever known. Thank you for showing us that you don't have to be Prince Charming to save the day. About 50 percent of the time, you don't even have to save the day; you can let your friends do most of the work. Even though it is your name on the books, movies,and theme parks, you aren't perfect. But, you are our hero.
5. Thank you for showing us how to believe.
This goes back to our young selves, hoping and praying to go to Hogwarts (even though our moms tried to let us down gently.) Even 15 years after picking up "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," I still find myself believing in things a little more. I'm more open to the impossible. Harry raised a generation of believers.
Happy birthday, Harry Potter (a little late.) Thank you.
