I can say that 2015 has been my finest year, not because it was a piece of cake - my heart took more painful punches than I want to count - but because I looked for the good in all things, I practiced self-care, I forgave myself for mistakes. Each day I reached for gratitude, I cultivated a deep love inside myself, I marveled at the unity of everything, and when I realized that I am the universe, not just part of it, the grip of loneliness that's held strong since my early teens, began to loosen for the first time.

If I'm fortunate enough to live through 2016, I hope to be more vulnerable, to take a thousand more punches to the heart this year, not because I want pain, but because it's necessary, because I need to share love in its many forms and I refuse to be afraid or ashamed of that. I have wishes for this world that require purity of heart, humility, and courage beyond anything I've yet worked to achieve. Here's to all you people who offer me wisdom through acts of untold kindness, cruelty, and mere indifference. I'm grateful for everyone I’ve shared even the smallest moments with this year. You don't realize how important you've been. To the old friends, new faces, and beautiful souls I'll soon meet, on my birthday I wish all of you love, wisdom, and compassion toward yourself and others.

Because you and I are not so separate, this wish for you is my birthday wish for myself. Let's blow out the candles together.