It’s My Birthday! Why I Love and Hate Being Born on November 3rd

Today is my 32nd birthday and I’m happy to be alive another year! This year was a year of changes, not just because of the pandemic, but because of progress in my own health. Although it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to, I am happy I’m still alive and my health is better than it was in my 20’s.

Even though I’m happy to see another birthday, I always believed November 3rd (Or the dates nearby it) has always been a great day to have a birthday. It’s close enough to Halloween to have a Halloween themed birthday party. When I was a child, it was the week before Veteran’s Day, which means a day off from school. Wait a few more weeks and then it’s Thanksgiving. It’s the time of the year when Christmas toys start to show up in stores, so picking a birthday present as a child also includes deciding which toys I want for my birthday and which ones I want for Christmas. But there is one thing about having a birthday this time of the year that I never liked: Election day.

An election day birthday has always been a something I feel torn about. I love being able to vote and it’s not something I take for granted. Although I love letting my voice be heard in politics, I don’t always like my birthday to be on election day.

In the past, my birthday has landed on a major election year. Because of this, many people, including myself, are more focused on who won the election and voting. This means the importance of anyone’s birthday is left behind. Also, the lead up to the election (Advertisements, debates, ect.) doesn’t leave someone with a celebratory feeling. It’s actually a really depressing time because of all the fighting between different political groups.

When I was in elementary school, I hated my birthday date because my fellow classmates would bully me and accused me of caring more about my birthday than the election. This always hurt my feelings because that wasn’t true. Years later, I began to realized it was my fellow classmates that cared more about the election and never cared about my birthday because they didn’t like me. But, as an adult, I’m happy to share my birthday date with an election day. This year’s presidential election is a hard one and I thought I would hate my birthday this year, but my joy of being alive brought my dislike of my birthday into a larger prospective. My birthday is the same day as a presidential election during a pandemic. My health has improved enough that I know I will have the energy to work and vote in person.

Yes, this year’s election is not a normal one, but I won’t let that make me sad. I’m just happy I’m healthy enough to cast my vote on my birthday.

Well, that’s all for now! Thank you for reading!