This year marks the first time I've genuinely smiled to myself and celebrated with a quiet, happy birthday dedicated to myself. Today is my birthday. 32, a new number, but still just a number. I'm still 3, 14, 18, 24, and even 50, all at once—or so I hope.
On this special occasion, I want to share with you a single piece of knowledge or wisdom that will accompany me every time and everywhere, one that you can feel, sense, and hear in the melody shared below. It's a simple one that we often neglect because of its simplicity—the beauty and pain of life; the sorrow and the calmness, the loneliness and the magic, the warmth and the bittersweet. In my reading of novels throughout the years, I find that this "critical solace," as David James describes it, stuck with me and continues to influence my work, too.
Tied to this, there's the privilege of shedding tears on your birthday. Because I find that the most overwhelming and beautiful moments in life demand tears, not laughter. I hope I can keep shedding them because that means I'm still alive. My wish is that our societies will learn to embrace them too, and we'll never be alone or feel ashamed for doing so. That we can cry together, just as we smile together. This is my wish for this year, and I wanted to share it with you.
Comments