“I always hated my birthday growing up. Somehow being born in the summer meant that it was ignored. My friends didn’t remember because it was summer. Even my family passively pushed it to the side, and focused more on how my oldest brother was married on my birthday.
Last year I was moving away for grad school the day after my birthday. So I decided this one time that I was going to do it, I’m going to celebrate myself. So I planned an entire day, invited people, did what I want. I was hoping my friends would help plan or seem excited, but they seemed uninterested and were going along with it for their love of me. They continued to ignore me up to my birthday, not really responding to plans or my questions.
My day came, and it was great but it felt off. At the end of the night, my best friend asks the group to politely shut up, and out of nowhere, they bring a giant check out (that they had made themselves) with enough money for me to buy a new laptop. My friends had ignored me because they were actively working behind the scenes trying to contact every person I knew, and asking them to donate enough money to get me a new laptop. I guess everyone knew how broken my laptop was, how broke I’ve always been my entire life and how hard it was for me to move away for grad school. The only reason I didn’t cry was because I was completely shocked. I couldn’t believe it. If I had any expectations, they clearly surpassed it.”
