I turned 27 at midnight on a little stretch of I-35 that runs through Austin, Texas, driving with the windows down and listening to Ray LaMontagne at an eardrum busting volume. And, yes, I am sad, but not altogether unhopeful. The only good thing about being down so low is that I think I found hope down here. On the way home I prayed to whoever is up there that all of 27 is better than the last half of 26.

No matter what, I'm immensely lucky to have such wonderful people in my life who care about me. Words can't express how much I love all of them and how important they are to me.