The things we take for granted...

Christmas, Thanksgiving, Weddings, Going Away Parties, and Birthdays; all of these things have something in common. They are each a gathering of people, but just any, people whom you have a deep connection with. These events happen each year with certainty. You live long enough you begin to acknowledge these events with no more than a nod.

I remember a time when a birthday was a time of absolute celebration, all eyes were on you; it's your special day. Best of all, you loved the presents. Before you even dug into the brightly colored gifts your mind had already raced through all the possibilities of the fun you could have with them, not even yet knowing what it was. Your heart beat furiously in your chest as you revealed small sections of the prize inside. When the paper was discarded you held up over your head in triumph a treasured item.
Each moment of the ritual as sacred as the next. The games, the cake, the gifts, the pictures.

Yet, through all of this there was another component, easily overlooked at such a young age. A component that is easily forgotten even as you progress in years.

It's the people.

You spend so much time on yourself that you can forget what it is that really makes these days special. The people. Would that party be all that much fun if nobody was there? How would you feel if there wasn't anybody to show your new treasures to? The truth of the matter is, it wouldn't be fun at all.

Tonight on my birthday, I was reminded of the things that truly matter to me. I have forgotten what it was that made these days special. By matter of circumstance all of my family and closest friends were working, in school, or out of town. Which, left me alone. A day where one should feel special, yet I did not. While the texts and emails from friends afar were greatly appreciated, they still could not account for the human element in which we as sentient beings, require.

I above all others am guilty of taking my family and friends for granted. Which to me now, is among the greatest transgressions we as a people can make. In the end, our connection, our relationship with others is all we really have to experience this world, is all we have to make it as special as it should be.

As I sit here, and read birthday cards left for me; I ask that you never take those closest to you for granted. Enjoy every moment with them, cherish the memories you make with them; even something as small as getting coffee on a cold night. For when they are gone, it can be the most crushing feeling to endure.