Sneezing into 24: Unexpected Lessons from a Shared Sick Birthday

Tissues, Pumpkin Soup, and Marvel

Photo by Zohre Nemati on Unsplash

There’s something almost poetic about spending your 24th birthday wrapped in blankets, surrounded by a fortress of tissues, and sipping on warm pumpkin soup instead of celebratory champagne. That’s exactly how I found myself this year, courtesy of an ill-timed cold that decided to crash my birthday party. But I wasn’t alone in my misery — my partner was right there with me, nursing a hangover from the previous night’s end-of-season football celebrations.

As the clock struck midnight and I officially entered my 24th year, I was greeted not by the cheers of friends or the warmth of birthday hugs, but by a stuffy nose and my partner’s groans. The irony wasn’t lost on me — all those grand plans I had for my birthday were suddenly replaced by a Marvel movie marathon and a shared box of painkillers.

At first, I’ll admit, I was pretty bummed. Who wants to spend their birthday feeling under the weather, let alone with your significant other equally out of commission? But as the day progressed, both of us huddled under a mountain of blankets with steaming bowls of pumpkin soup, I found a strange comfort in our shared discomfort.

There’s nothing quite like being sick to make you appreciate good health. As we…