My birthday is this coming Friday, March 29.
Though I don’t care much about holidays, over the years, I have grown to like birthdays because they allow me to celebrate people special to me, including myself.
I haven’t always liked birthdays. In fact, I hated my birthdays as a kid (because my birthdays reminded me that I didn’t have many friends).
As a teenager, my birthdays were not much better.
Case in point, my 16th birthday, when I invited people to meet at the ice skating rink, and nobody showed up – which ended up being a good thing because it turned out when I got inside, the public session had been canceled (because I hadn’t thought to confirm it).
Sweet 16, huh?
Making friends and starting new relationships with people has always been difficult for me, and it still is. That is why I treasure the few relationships that I have greatly.
David and I have been traveling for almost two years.
While we traveled, I kept close contact with my grandparents, especially my grandfather (one of the most influential people in my life), texting, sending photos, and calling my grandparents whenever we landed in a new spot.
I didn’t miss Texas while we were on the road, but I did miss the good people we left behind when we hit the road -my friends and family.
When March rolled around this year, I was excited to kick off my birthday month, and I even scheduled myself a few extra days off on my birthday weekend (planning a 4 day weekend for the first time in several months).
Because we live in a small space (and most people in my life don’t have much to spare), I discourage people from giving me stuff (which takes up space we don’t have) for my birthdays.
This year, after an extended period away, the one thing I wanted was to spend time with my grandparents.
However, my grandfather, who was like a father to me, suddenly became ill and passed away earlier this month, and now I don’t feel like celebrating without him.
This birthday, which I was excited about, has become one I am indifferent to.
This has been an excerpt from a longer Substack post.
The full post is available on Patreon, Substack, and Facebook (in the top secret subscriber FB group).
To receive new posts (like this one) delivered directly to your inbox 2-3 times each week (and support my work), please consider becoming a subscriber.
I’m creating a new community on Substack, and I hope you’ll join me as a free member (but I also have paid subscriptions that are only $5/month – less if you subscribe annually if you want access to bonus content).
FREE subscribers on Substack get content, too! Everyone gets something (because I believe education should be accessible).
*Patreon members and Facebook Subscribers ALSO got access to THIS post.
Both Substack and Patreon offer a free one-week trial on paid subscriptions. If it’s not for you, you can cancel at any time with no obligation.
The NeuroDivergent Rebel Blog is a reader-supported publication. Without the help of my readers, free resources LIKE THIS ONE wouldn’t be possible.
To receive new posts (like this one) and support my work, I ask that you please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber on Patreon, Facebook, or Substack.
If you’re low on funds, you can also help support my work by sharing this post. That’s the kind of help you can’t put a price on.
It would mean a lot to me,
– Lyric
