Every year, I make the mistake of thinking that my birthday will be a fabulous event celebrated by many, and every year, the reality sets in that birthdays are just another day for me. This past weekend as I celebrated my 21st birthday, I had high hopes that things would be as fun and fabulous as the months of planning had promised. Then, a guy decided to step in and ruin all my plans. So this message is for the guy who ruined my 21st birthday. Yeah, I’m talking to you Hurricane Matthew.
Instead of celebrating my birthday as planned in Wilmington, I found myself packing for home after being evacuated from campus. The party was canceled, the decorations were returned, and I was extremely disappointed. While my hometown friends assured me that we would have an equally fun time at home, I couldn’t help but feel cheated out of a good birthday because of a hurricane. On Wednesday, I left Wilmington after being evacuated from my campus apartment and headed home to Fayetteville. As it turned out, Matthew decided to visit Fayetteville a little bit more than Wilmington. Maybe he wanted to help celebrate another year of life with me, but whatever the case, he made sure to have me all to himself. My birthday was on Saturday, October 8–the day that Hurricane Matthew hit North Carolina. Unable to go anywhere, I spent the day at home with my parents and the power went out. The power was still out the next day, and we were unable to leave our neighborhood. So, basically, I was trapped at home in the dark for two days. Somehow my parents helped me get back to Wilmington on Monday when campus re-opened and all was, for the most part, back to normal.
Even though Hurricane Matthew ruined my silly birthday plans, I can only be thankful that that was the worst thing to happen to me this past weekend. Seeing parts of Fayetteville and Wilmington destroyed after Matthew was incredibly sad. I know several families who had their homes damaged from water, fallen trees, and other disasters from the storm. Roads are still broken, flooded, and closed, and people are still recovering from the loss. North Carolina alone has suffered the most deaths in the U.S. from Hurricane Matthew. Although it’s tough to see the good in bad situations, I’m grateful that my family and home remained safe in the storm. A good lesson to my dramatic 21-year-old self: don’t cry over spilled milk.
So, finally, to Hurricane Matthew I say thank you. Thank you for giving me a story to tell my future children anytime they complain on their birthday. Thank you for giving those that hear this story a laugh. And thank you for wanting to celebrate with me, but you aren’t invited to any more birthdays.