20.

On this day 20 years ago, I was born.

Sounds super climatic, right?

Well, not really.

I’m sure my birth was as big of an event as ever — eldest grandchild, pregnancy complications, etc. — but how many of us actually remember our births?

Hint: None of us.

I firmly believe in celebrating birthdays. You’ve made your mark for yet another year, furthering your beautiful existence on this planet. Who doesn’t love the feeling of texts, phone calls, Facebook wall posts, tweets and Instagram collages all dedicated to celebrating their existence? Beyond our humble thank you’s is a 4-year-old child beaming with happiness and excitement: “Today is my birthday!”

Well… Today is my birthday!

Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and they day you find out why.” I hold this quote very close to my heart, yet I disagree with Mr. Twain. The day of your birth is obviously a very important day — it marks the physical awakening of you. But “the day you find out why” marks your emotional awakening. And while I can specifically pin-point at least two days that changed my life forever, I believe the beauty of living lies beyond the grand moments, but rather in the small, simplistic acts we perform everyday that make us who we are.

We are shaped my grand moments. The first time I ever saw my artwork hung in a gallery, when I opened my first college acceptance letter, when I knew I wanted to work in baseball, and the day my sister was born. The moments test our character and push us to be the best versions of ourselves.

But it is the everyday, the constant grind of life that shows the world who we truly are. It’s the little moments, the small acts that form our habits, and our habits form ourselves.

I’ve been very blessed with amazing friends, family, classmates, sisters, mentors, professors and teachers during my past 20 years. Each interaction I have had with any number of these people has helped shape who I am and who I aspire to be. I’ve been alive and well for two decades now (isn’t that something?) and I still can’t believe how lucky I am.

I’ve accomplished a fair amount in my past 20 years — a 3.9 GPA in high school, full scholarship offer to WKU, half scholarship offer to the University of Alabama, scholarship offer (and acceptance) to UC, all including admittance into their honors programs; receiving my bid from my sorority, two internships before my junior year of college, published in the Enquirer, over 1,000 followers on Twitter — and I cannot wait to see where the future takes me.

So thank you to my Mom, the most amazing woman I know, for raising me and giving me unconditional love and support. And thank you to my peers, my mentors, my contacts and my friends. Everyday you make my “Day Two” possible.

Mark Twain would be jealous.

Here’s to 20 more. *toast*

-Emily