I love birthdays, a lot. There’s a lot to love about them –– an excuse to party, eat cake and be ridiculous. The thing I have always loved the most, however, is that birthdays tend to bring together the people you love the most.
Especially as you get older, there will be more and more people in your life whom you don’t get to see regularly. It’s a normal part of life, and it can seem impossible to keep track of and in touch with everyone you care about. I have friends all across the some, and many who are currently living in different time zones. On top of that, I go to school in Ohio, which means that for most of the year I live at least seven hours away from any of my family members. It’s hard, but it’s also really, really normal.
My brother is one of my favorite people in this world, but we’re also both college students with busy lives and realistically don’t get to talk that much. Seeing his name light up on my phone on my birthday was one of the best parts of my day, and even if we don’t talk for long, it’s nice to hear even the tiniest bit about his life.
While, of course, there’s also a ton of love from the people who are around every day and whom I do live with and spend most of my time with, there’s something so great about a text or a call from someone you don’t get to see. Even the shortest little conversation can be a great reminder of how much you love them.
This week I got to talk to friends from high school, friends I met while studying abroad, much of my extended family and even people I haven’t talked to in months or longer.
It’s an amazing thing that we live in a world where it’s so easy to talk to someone living thousands of miles from you, and while birthdays are a perfect reminder of that ease, a special occasion is by no means required to send a quick text just to say hi or pick up the phone to say I miss you.
It becomes much less overwhelming to think about all the people you love and miss if you just say hey whenever someone crosses your mind, and in the spirit of all things mushy-gushy and Valentine-y, I’m going to try, starting now, to do just that.
Reaching out doesn’t have to be a big deal and keeping in touch doesn’t have to be scary. Now, Happy (belated) Valentine’s day, go let someone know you love them and miss them or something.
