[MadPoet]

Hey Matthew,

We're birthday twins! I turned 17 on the 29th too

To be honest my birthday was pretty much like any other day. I went to school, dealt with annoying people, came home, and did absolutely nothing. I'm waiting till tomorrow to actually celebrate, mostly because we didn't actually have any money to do anything.. I haven't gotten any gifts yet besides a gift card and a pair of flip flops.

I guess the point is that you're not alone. When I was younger birthdays seemed to be the highlight of the year. But now they kind of just seem redundant and boring. But I think that it's definitely what you make it. Nothing has changed, just our attitudes. I've never really done anything too special on my birthday. Usually I go out to dinner with my family and just spend time with the people I love. To me, that's enough, and that's what I want to do. So why not find something you like to do with others or just for yourself, and focus on that this weekend? Spend time with people you care about, or do something special for yourself. It's not too late to celebrate, that's what I'm doing. Don't take the little things for granted, there's tons of things to do to have fun.

If nothing else, try looking forward to the next year. To me birthdays are kind of like your own new year. I always look back and realize how different I am than I was a year ago, and I look forward to feeling the same way my next birthday. In reality it's not really the birthday that counts, but the way you spend the year until your next one. That probably sounds silly, but it's true. In a year from now you won't be remembering what your last birthday was like, you'll be remembering how you spent the time between them.

Take some time to celebrate this weekend, you're only seventeen once! It's not too late to have a good time