Day 365 – First Candle

I still remember it, not in color but in feeling.

A far island in Palu. The room smelled like bitter and sweet chocolate melting into the air. A tiny cake sat in front of me, my first.

Mom on my left, Dad on my right. Their hands steadying me as if the world could tip over at any moment.

Around us were kids from the neighborhood, cheering and laughing. I don’t remember their faces now, only the sound of small hands clapping and the echo of joy. The memory is gray, blurry at the edges, but warm in the center.

I didn’t know it then, but this was the first of thousands of days I would keep counting.

The first time I realized life could be both sweet and a little bitter,

and I have been chasing that taste ever.