Worry does not give us control. It does not prevent loss, guarantee outcomes, or protect us from being hurt. At best, it is rehearsal; at worst, it is self-inflicted punishment for a future that may never arrive. Most of what we fear never happens—and when something finally does, we meet it with the same tools we always had. All that worry in between does not prepare us. It only wears us down.

I am not someone who typically adheres to traditions- or at least not any popular ones. I don't observe any holidays- in fact, I don't even really "observe" Halloween as I was not allowed to participate in it as a child. Most of the time, these days come and go and I live my life none-the-different. This is quite different from my religious upbringing, where we were certain to observe several religious holidays and participation in national holidays was essentially mandatory

When I reflect back on my life, whether 10 months ago or 12 years ago, it is so clear to me that I have grown and I am growing. I am a stronger person today than I was back then, but I also know it's because of what happened back then. Those moments made me, and yours are making you.

Today is my birthday. It marks 33 years I've been present and alive on this rock hurdling through space. I also think it marks a good day for me to finally make a blog post on here, which I've been delaying for I think close to two years now. But the delay has a reason. It's not necessarily a good one, but I do have one. Perfectionism.