Birthdays always make me pause and reflect. They feel like a quiet checkpoint and a moment to look back on how far I’ve come and to think about where I want to go next. It’s strange how time seems to move both quickly and slowly at once. This past year has been full of growth, both personally and creatively. I’ve learned lessons that came the hard way and celebrated milestones that once felt like distant dreams. There have been long nights spent writing, cups of coffee gone c
