Birthday Food Poisoning
This weekend was my 22nd birthday. I know you're thinking, 22 is not that exciting, but I do actually love my birthday more than the average person. People might think that's because I get to have the attention all on me, but that's not quite it. I love my birthday because when it’s your birthday, if you throw a birthday party, everybody has to come. All of your favorite people that you invite from all different walks of your life and from all different friend groups feel obligated to come because it's your birthday. And what do you get from that? You get all of your favorite people in one place all together in the same night enjoying each other's company, just spending time together, and they're all there for you. It's the time of the year that I feel so loved and so grateful to everyone around me, and that's why I love it so much.
This year, however, was a little different. I celebrated my actual birthday by just going to get drink at He's Not, but had arranged to have a birthday party the day after my birthday because I would be coaching a tournament that morning. When I came back from the tournament, I ate some leftover Chinese food that I'd had for dinner the night before. About an hour later, things took a turn for the worse. Suddenly, I was doubled over with a jabbing pain in my stomach, and I knew this was not going to go well. I thought a quick trip to the bathroom would solve my problems and I would be ready to go for the night, but it didn't. I began to get lightheaded and I ended up on the bathroom floor for the next couple of hours. As it turns out, it was food poisoning and I was on my butt for the next 36 hours.
However, once again, as I am at my own birthday parties, I was immediately surrounded by love. My roommates were quick to come and hold my hair, bring me water, and basically just be there for me. They didn't mind that even though they had decorated our house for a surprise, that the party wasn't going to happen. Everyone made sure that I had Tums, that I had water, that I had Pepto-Bismol, blankets and sweatshirts. They were all there to take care of me. it's hard to be away from your mom when you're sick at college, but when you have people that make it just like home, I'm so lucky to have the friends that I do to take care of me. And even though it was not the birthday that I had in mind, I definitely I'm not going to say that it was my worst.
