I started celebrating my birthdays at the age of 15 with my sister by doing a photoshoot. It wasn’t because taking pictures and posting them was a trend at the time. In fact, I didn’t even have social media. It was simply a way to spend time with my sister, who deeply enjoys photography. Each year, the theme was a little different. One year, I did a photoshoot in my pajamas with party poppers and flowers, and the next year I climbed a waterfall in a dress. Those photoshoots became my favorite part of my birthdays.
However, this year, because of my busy schedule, I wasn’t able to carry on the tradition the same way. This past weekend, I became consumed by social media and trying to think of a photoshoot idea no one had done before since my 21st birthday was around the corner. I couldn’t think of anything, and I became really upset. The pressure to be perfect for social media, seeing everyone do studio photoshoots, and not knowing whether I wanted to follow that trend or do something different completely overwhelmed me. What began at 15 as something fun shifted into a stressful task instead of a bonding moment between my sister and me.
President’s Weekend approached, and it was the only weekend I could take my pictures with my tight spring semester schedule. We decided on going to Yosemite, yet it rained horribly that weekend. Since these photos are usually some of my core memories, I felt like that experience was being taken away from me. I rotted in bed that day, upset about how my 21st birthday was approaching. However, after dwelling on it for a day, I finally let go of this idea of perfection.
I realized that if I just lied in my bed, nothing was going to change, so I had to change my perspective. I let go of the idea of perfect pictures and instead planned a dinner with my girls. Of course, my sister joined us too since she’s my best friend. We had dinner in Berkeley, walked around, and watched a beautiful sunset. The day couldn’t have been more perfect.
Sticking to a strict schedule and wanting everything to be perfect was what had been ruining my 21st birthday. Once I let that idea go and stopped worrying about what I’d post on social media, my birthday immediately turned around because I was actually living in the moment and enjoying every minute of the night. As we walked around campus after dinner, we ended up running into an event with a red carpet where we took my pictures. I would’ve never expected to get my red carpet moment in such an unexpected way.
This year, on my 21st birthday, I felt loved, and it was amazing. I’ve learned, and I’ll carry this lesson with me into future years, not to focus on perfection or what to post on social media. Instead, I should enjoy the small moments and be present with the people I love. That’s what truly creates the memories that last.