Just as a disclaimer, I do not read my horoscope every day and believe when it says I will find the love of my life or have a big fight with one of my friends. I do not believe that everyone born between March 20th and April 19th is strong willed, independent, optimistic, moody, impulsive, short-tempered, and enthusiastic. I just believe that I can really relate to all of those qualities and I liked having something like that to compare other people to.

My aunt and I have always liked our birthdays, well, like is putting it mildly. We absolutely love our birthdays. We are both Aries (she was born on April 2 and I was born on April 15) and both seem to share the sign's main qualities. I am very moody and can be short-tempered and impulsive in a lot of ways I am not proud of, but it makes up who I am. I am very independent but I am also dependent in a lot of ways; I don't like ordering food or doing anything where I have to talk to strangers really. I am fiercely optimistic which can be good and bad; I always assume the best about people and sometimes let them walk all over me. But in a good way, I can see the humanity in a lot of people when others may be blinded by a stereotype or the type of person we are talking about. I am very strong willed, but because I am also moody I do not always follow up with my goals like I want to.

I like being able to identify with my astrological sign in these ways because it seems like it groups people together. I may be a bit more obsessed with my birthday than other people, but I like knowing that people who were born around the same time I was all have some qualities in common, or all have the possibility to have these qualities in common.

I also love my birthday month (no you didn't read that wrong, I like to celebrate my birthday month, week, weekend, day, etc.) and being born in April means that my birthstone is a diamond. This fact has not been lost on me because it only feeds my ego. Having the most valuable birthstone, a fiery attitude, and a strong will sometimes gets me in trouble but I love it all the same.

I don't know if anyone, but my aunt, will ever really understand my love for my birthday and how it's not completely a selfish thing. I just love celebrating it and being around all my friends and family. It's not about getting presents or money or anything, I just like the feeling that one day is technically dedicated to me. For anyone who loves their birthday or feels connected to their astrological sign in the same way, I know how you feel.

Fun (or not so fun) Facts about April 15:

-The day the Titanic sunk (started sinking on April 14 and actually sank on April 15)

-The day Lincoln died (he was shot April 14 and died on April 15)

-Tax Day

-The day of the Boston Marathon Bombings