My ice cream birthday moments.

Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail.

Not like last year’s.

I had brainstormed for the longest time trying to figure out how to celebrate my 29th birthday. And thought about how people often bar-hopped—how I wanted to do something different. How I wanted to be with my favorite people, but I wanted to have as little stress as possible. And then it came to me.

Ice cream.

Although the day did not start well, as I made the walk to my first stop…I realized how momentous it was. My friends—many who didn’t eating ice cream—showed up. Many just came because it was me—just me. Some traveled far by car, by taxi, by public transit. Some took a detour after another event just to stop by.

What was so fascinating was all the people that made it—different walks of my life. Most people did not know each other—typical of how my friendships often run. They came from: undergrad at Berkeley, grad school at CMU, work, roommates, brother of a friend, friend of a friend, sister of a friend, boyfriend’s friend, high school… And I loved that they talked with each other.

I watched them and that made me happy. Unlike last year, it wasn’t “active” in the standard sense. But it was watching the connections that formed as we walked from ice cream place to ice cream place…and finally ending up at my place. And how I captured every moment with the camera. So that I wouldn’t forget.