I didn't cry on my birthday this year!

Sunny Side Up #36

Jun 05, 2025

Things I Have To Say

I didn’t cry on my birthday this year! That feels pretty significant. I asked my colleagues, and all of them said they normally cry on their birthdays, so most of us must do it at some point or other.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m twenty-five now and so my frontal lobe (is that what they call it?) is properly developed, but it definitely feels like growth. I know mine has developed because I know genuinely enjoy an episode or two of Who Do You Think You Are?, which I used to think only old people liked, but now I understand that it’s actually just a fascinating watch. I’ve been told that the Josh Widdecombe episode is particularly thrilling, so I’ll get back to you on that.

How did I prevent myself from crying on my birthday?

I wish I had the answers. I think it was a combination of staying present (ie. not panicking about the future and the inescapability of the passage of time #daunting), and also the realisation that I seem to be getting happier with each year that passes. Following this pattern, twenty-five should be quite lovely.

When I was little, I always imagined that I’d fall asleep the night before my birthday and wake up a brand new me, with swishier, shinier hair or something. This is a hell of a lot of pressure for just one day, no? (I say that, but I got a hair mask as a gift this year, so I did in fact wake up with swishier, shinier hair).

I find it virtually impossible not to use birthdays as an opportunity to reflect not my previous year, but getting older I’ve become less critical of what I did or didn’t do, and more grateful for the experiences I’ve had, whether positive or not so positive. This isn’t to say that I don’t look back and cringe viscerally, but I cringe without judgement, and I consider that growth.

I put my lack of tears down to a mindset shift, looking forward to all the things I get to do as opposed to worrying about the time passing and all the things I’m still yet to achieve.

That, and the Elemis facial I had. A note to the beauty therapist, Rosie: you have a gift. I like to take facials (I say that like I have them every week, I have had three in my life) as an opportunity to daydream, which is something we should make time for more often. I feel so happy when I’m daydreaming. Isn’t it nice to imagine a happy scenario and think about how you can make it happen for yourself? At twenty-five, I am a firm believer that if you can imagine it in your head, you can find a way to bring it into fruition.

I was going to write a ‘25 things I’ve learnt at 25’ post, but in all honesty I don’t think I have that many lessons to share. Also, I never learn my lesson, so you shouldn’t take advice from me.

My main observation from the last quarter of a century (EW!) is that things get better with the passage of time, and that’s a wonderful thing, not a scary thing.

Things I Did

Reading | The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley. I stayed up late to finish it because I had to know how she was going to tie it all up. If you’ve read this, I’d love to know your thoughts. I’m still thinking about it.

Eating | An awful lot of birthday cake.

Blooming | I feel really lucky that I was given lots of peonies for my birthday this year. They don’t last long, but they are a stunning burst of joy!

Watching | A Waterstones event online with Beth O’Leary, Carley Fortune and Lucy Vine.

Dancing | At a Kylie concert, which is the best place to be dancing! My sister and I went as a birthday celebration, and it was such a fun time.

Smiling | Uncontrollably on a trip to London to see one of my closest friends, Beth! The time passed too quickly.

In Between | I went to work every day, worked a bit extra over the weekends, ate Weetabix for breakfast, convinced myself to do 30 minutes of HIIT four days a week, and finally caught up with High Potential on Disney+.