Unfortunately, my birthday fell in the midst of this coronavirus madness. I turned 16 on March 29, on the same day we found out school and non-essential things will be closed for an additional month. It was hard for me to prioritize a simple birthday during a pandemic, so I thought I would share my experience of having a pandemic birthday.

I have never been fussy about what I want for dessert on my birthday, but for my 16th I wanted a cake. Well, I couldn’t get a cake because of the risk someone infected had touched it. I problem-solved and decided to make my own cake the day before my birthday. All was well until I had to remove the cake from the pan; it broke into a million pieces and I managed to drop most of it on the floor. The morning of my birthday I woke up optimistic. I decided I was going to make whipped coffee that I had seen on TikTok. I started the electric mixer but it wouldn’t work. Stupidly, I put my hand on the attachment and then it started working…with my hand inside it. I damaged a few of my fingers the morning of my birthday, but I wouldn’t let that ruin my day either. We were supposed to get sushi for dinner but they didn’t even do takeout anymore because of the virus. I just had to remember there was a solution for everything.

Normally for my birthday I see a movie or go out to eat with my friends, both of which are closed right now. I couldn’t have anyone besides my boyfriend over because of the stay at home order. I was kind of bummed about not being able to see my friends, but they found ways to work around it. I had several people leave presents on my porch and talk to me through the door. My friends’ family drove by my house with posters and a megaphone singing happy birthday from their car. My mom sent my number to all her contacts and I received hundreds of texts from all of her friends. People made the most of it and still found a way to make my birthday special.

Having a birthday during this time isn’t ideal, but can be just as enjoyable. It’s important to remember that these restrictions and rules are there for a reason and are ensuring our safety. If you have a birthday during this time I recommend focusing on family, watch a movie, make something, facetime friends and family you can’t see, and most importantly just stay safe.