*Time flies*, especially as you get older, or is it just me?

A year closer to death, and this time I almost forgot about it. As the clock closed in towards 12:01AM of 6th November, I was lying on my bed, all drained and tired, ready for a little bit of shut-eye. And just as my eyelids were about to meet, my phone started to ring; if the phone had rang about 10 seconds later, then I probably would've missed that called, missed the little reminder that it was my F**KING BIRTHDAY.

It was my wife who had called, someone who takes better care of me, more than me, myself and I. Of course, I do take care of myself, but sometimes I act lazy when it comes to maintaining a good diet and active lifestyle, that is I require a bit of assistance every now and then. And of course, there's my mother, who always makes sure that she's the first one to wish me a happy birthday, even if she has to wish me 2 or 3 days earlier, just to stay ahead of the competition haha. 

They both had planned for a little birthday celebration, and that is why my wife called and told me to head towards the dining room. And as soon as I stepped into the room, I saw that the room was well lit up and decorated with birthday posters, decorations and balloons. As if I'm still a 10 year old or something haha.

Early in the morning my mother did remind me that it was my birthday the next day, but I ended up forgetting just a few hours later. I've really stopped caring about birthdays and all of that during my mid-teens, it's not as "delightful" of an experience as it once used to be. But the people around me, the people who matter, they don't mind celebrating on my behalf, not a bit, and I really can't walk away from that, that is why I too MUST participate. 

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Birthday or no birthday, who can say no to some proper chocolate cake? 

So, here I am, enjoying some leftover cake from that little homely occasion of ours; devouring some cake, and writing away about my day and life. 

And as I write along, I'm sensing a bit of Deja Vu, as if I've already been through this moment, this time and space. I'm not even joking right now, and I can assure you this isn't the first time this has happened, this moment of recalling.

Weird feelings aside though, the day went by just like any other day, starting with a bit of office work and the usual activities. I usually don't have much planned for such occasions, I see and tackle such events, days and dates just like any other day, nothing special.

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From the many things I do end up forgetting or try to forget, what I didn't forget about was my Hive Birthday. 🍰🎆

This account here has become one of those very few things that I actually care about. 

On the 2nd of this month I completed a year on Hive, even though my first post, the introduction post, was posted on the 4th of November-2021. I maintained quite a streak as well, I wrote and posted for 7 months straight, and then, *life happened*; yet, it's absolutely normal I'd say. 

I can start with my streak any time I want, if I really want to that is, but for now some other very important things deserve a bit of attention. So that streak of mine will have to wait for now.

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This time of the year has mostly been kind to me, no matter how rough a past year may have been; as we close in towards winter, things just somehow start falling in line again. Hopefully this year will be the same.

2021 was a year full of new experiences for me and my family, the type of experiences that aren't so jolly; unfortunate circumstances that people should try their best to avoid. 

Yet, no matter how tough it was, we did make it out alive and together, and that's all that matters. 

2022 welcomed us with a kind smile, even though it wasn't the steadiest of years we've experienced, it still was/is a year where we understood the true meaning of growth. 

However, soon enough even 2022 revealed its darker secrets. A few *unlighted* secrets that ended up crushing all the hopes and dreams of my family. Yet, after the shock of 2021, this newer and bigger shock that 2022 had kept a secret just didn't hurt as much, we've mentally prepped ourselves for the worst at this point,. 

Sometimes it all really feels like a bad dream, a prank, a joke, but I really don't need to pinch myself to see what's really going on around us. Yet, a part of me really does wish for all of it to actually be a bad dream or a joke.

The damage done was colossal, life-changing, and would take years to amend, but at this point we've probably seen it all. And no matter how tough life becomes, we remind ourselves that we still have each other, and as long as we have each other and work as a team, we may just pull through. 

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> ***"There is meaning in every journey that is unknown to the traveler" - Dietrich Bonhoeffer***

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