Happy Birthday: Overlooked Struggles

Happy Birthday: Overlooked Struggles is a tribute. People see 9/11 as being a very Tragic day in the past. A lot of people ended up dying. A lot of... problems with trying to come back to their regular living after the whole situation had happened. This piece is a tribute to the people that had to pick up everything that was lost, but also a reminder to those who have their birthdays on 911. Being someone who’s birthday is 9/11 and knowing others with my birthday as well its came to my attention that I’m not the only one who has anxiety about celebrating on or around their birthday or even just don’t celebrate at all because of our experiences. Similarly to how some people who have leap year birthdays who don’t want to celibate out because they don’t want their years of life to feel invalid because they’re told they aren’t their actual age, or those who don’t celibate because their birthday on on another holiday and don’t want to feel like a burden or that they aren’t important because they’re celebrating a holiday instead of them specifically… those with birthdays on 9/11 also deal with some rather traumatic things. ​

A lot of us get death threats when trying to celebrate our birthdays. They're getting people telling them that they should be ashamed for it and saying that they are being disrespectful to the dead for being happy. But Why should we be ashamed for being happy? My question is why shouldn’t we be happy for all the people who passed who saved others so they could live? So I wanted to make this piece to remind people that, yes, it was a tragic time but there were also people who passed specifically for others to live and be happy. United airline flight 93 was reclaimed by its passengers and steered into a crash in a field to prevent a crash into the target of what was believed to be the U.S. Capitol or the White House in Washington, D.C. The passengers saved countless lives by doing so and died hero’s. There are people who are still living today, even if they weren't necessarily born that specific day. They had to live with, the pickup of that past and they had to figure out how to navigate society. Still trying to be happy despite the trauma, anxiety, depression, and other disabilities accumulated not just from the event but also the aftermath the clean up. The death threats and sad stories brought up every year. This piece is a reminder and permission to be happy and encouraging. Supportive of one another. A tribute to those who picked themselves up and continued despite the pain, anxiety, depression, chronic stress, ptsd, and sleepless nights.​