Birthdays are meant to be simple. A date passes. Someone you care about exists another year. That should be enough. And yet, for many people, birthdays quietly become one of the most emotionally loaded days of the year. Not because of cake or candles, but because of what birthdays are supposed to mean. They become moments of accounting. Of comparison. Of subtle evaluation. Am I where I should be...
There’s a particular feeling that shows up every year as Valentine’s Day approaches. It isn’t just excitement or anticipation. It’s quieter—and heavier. A sense that love is about to be evaluated. Not noticed. Not experienced. Evaluated. We see it in the way people talk about their relationships. We hear it in the pressure baked into simple questions. Is this the one? Where is this going? What...
