Living far away from family has changed the way I think about birthdays. When I cannot be in the same room, bring a cake, or join the celebration, a short text message often feels incomplete. A video call helps, but time zones, work schedules, and family plans do not always line up.

I have never been very good at writing birthday messages. Most years, I end up typing some variation of “Happy birthday, hope you have a great day,” even when the person means much more to me than that sentence suggests.