Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! 

Although I’m not glad that I now have to pay my own medical insurance, I’m glad to begin my 26th rotation around the sun. Birthdays have long been special to me, but since 2022, birthdays have been a little more special because back then I didn’t think I was going to be able to make it to my 23rd birthday. So, to be able to say that I’ve made it to twenty-six years, makes my heart fill with a little light and some butterflies. And I’m glad that for my 26th birthday I’m able to say that I’m still here.

I’m the type of person who notices questions—I’m weird that way. And all day long the question that I got all day long was, “Doing anything fun for your birthday tonight?” Well… my answer to that question is a little complex because not only did this birthday feel like it snuck up on me—I’ve been working on multiple projects lately, so time is never enough—but I also intentionally wanted this birthday to be laid back.

But I also think that it’s kind of funny that this birthday snuck in because of the amount of planning that I did for my 25th birthday celebration. Ever since my 21st birthday, I have done the whole nine yards. I’ve made the invitations, made the reservations, and ordered the cake. I mean… for my 23rd birthday I did a three part celebration… dinner on Thursday night, Black Panther at the movies on Friday night, and Brunch on Saturday morning. And last year for my 25th birthday, I spent over $1,000 for to host a private dinner party at my apartment—I guess you can say that I believe in the magic of birthdays. So, this year I wanted to lean back, relax and enjoy my birthday without stressing about party details.

So, the most exciting thing that I’m doing for my 26th birthday is seeing Wicked: For Good on opening night.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a quintessential Braylon letter if I didn’t offer some type of reflection. So… here it is…

As I begin my 26th orbit around the sun, so many things about life in general and things specific to my life have been called into question—not by others, but by me. So, I’ve been fighting against my Enneagram Three tendencies and my ENTP ideology a lot lately and learning to live in the reality of my current success rather than living in disappointment from the expectation of success.

And as I think about words to live by in this next rotation of life, I think not of a singular word or phrase, but rather a combination of phrases that in combination makeup a life plan… Si esse quam videri, praestantiora venient.