THE NIGHT BEFORE.

Another year has passed. 364 days have flown by mercilessly. And now I'm left counting the few hours that will soon pass by before that fateful day.

What is it with birthdays, anyway? What's the use of celebrating our birth anniversaries? Is there anything else to celebrate rather than having the opportunity to celebrate something we just can't comprehend with people who mean so much to us? Just what is it with birthdays, anyway?

Approximately 4 hours more and I have officially lived 8,409,600 irreplaceable and "nonrefundable" minutes.

So here's to the year that has passed by. To love lost. To love found. To friendships built. To relationships strengthened. To loneliness endured. To happiness shared. To pain. To pleasure. To tears and to laughter.

Here's for tomorrow, I mean, the future. For love, yes, always love. For new friendships. For endless relationships. For loved ones. For hello's and goodbye's. For moments that should last forever. For memories that will last 'til eternity. Yes, here's for another year of existence and of life. For another round of days and events that will make me feel alive and kicking. Here's for those soon to come episodes that will make me feel like I'm living for something -- not just for myself. For those same episodes that will make me realize that life is not just about existing.