I made this edit right after finishing Caleb’s new birthday card, primarily because I cried when I read it. And also because one specific line Caleb said really struck me. Don’t read further if you don’t want minor spoilers for his new card! “A birthday isn’t a celebration about being born. It’s for celebratin' the fact that you exist.” This blurb isn’t exactly Caleb-focused, but it really caused me to think about how I view my own birthday every year—and how I’m sure many of you do as well. I find that birthdays are often associated in media with two extreme scenarios: you either have the best day of the year, or you are miserable. It’s almost as if birthdays themselves place a burden on you, as you are expected to juggle the responsibilities of not only celebrating yourself but also everything being born implies. Birthdays cause almost a black-hole effect, where you reflect on the past year of your life: a year gone, and seconds continuously ticking away like an unknown fuse. Bucket lists left undone, wish lists unfulfilled, and relationships shattered. As a result, I find myself dreading celebrating my own birthday. Each birthday seems like a cruel mockery of my life because I often think: What is there to celebrate about my being born? Have I really accomplished anything? Will I ever fulfill my purpose? Perhaps that is why I find solace in Caleb and the focus he places on the little things in life. In this card, we see a more intimate side of him. From his aspirations of being the best pilot in the world to simply wanting to spend the rest of his life with us. He celebrates not his birth, which he barely recalls from his time in the lab, but rather his current existence and potential future. None of us remembers those minute events in the first seconds of our lives—so why celebrate them? Perhaps, rather than being a retrograde celebration, birthdays can be an anticipatory party. Instead of being a reflection on the past year, they can hint at the next. And I think it is because he is such a vulnerable character, with simplistic values and goals, that so many of us resonate with him. Maybe we need to celebrate the simplistic aspects of living. Happy birthday, Caleb; may you live freely.  If you read my entire drabble, thank you as well, and I hope you enjoyed this edit, which is very near and dear to my heart. :) As always, Laine. <3 #LoveandDeepspace #CalebYourSkyblue #ladsedit #calebedit #loveanddeepspacedit @loveanddeepspace scp: amrynna_ ib: zvk.amv - @fameuse.apples