Beyonce’s Birthday letter to her family, friends and fans is a Beautifully Penned and Powerful Must Read

Beyonce’s 40th birthday was this month, and both fans and celebrities paid their tributes on social media. Queen Bey, in turn, shared a heartfelt handwritten note on her official website. Though the lives of celebrities often seem removed from anything a “real” person would experience, her note really does offer some completely universal tear-jerker insights.

The letter starts out with a genuine yet expected thank-you to her fans:

“I’m so thankful for every inspiring human who took the time to send me all the beautiful messages,” she wrote in her note. “I cried tears of joy and was covered in chilly bumps. Your videos, your posts, your countdowns, your playlists, and your well wishes, I will cherish forever. I’m grateful to everyone involved, especially the fans, for the time and level of detail it took to organize such beautiful tributes. I admire and respect all of you, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Beyonce takes a more sentimental approach to her thank-you as she looks back at her life. Notice what’s NOT mentioned: career, fame, world tours… some of the things you might expect her to consider/ponder/contemplate. Instead, she writes:

“This is the first year that I really understand what it means to be alive and to live in the moment. It’s the first time that I have an understanding of how fragile life truly is, how hard life can be at times, and therefore how important it is to stop and smell the roses during the good times. I thought I knew that at 21 or 30 . . . but I didn’t. The more mature I become, the more I understand, and the deeper my joy grows. There’s a freedom and liberation knowing that I’ve made it to the other side of my sacrifice. I’m finally giving myself permission to enjoy the seeds I’ve worked so hard to plant my whole life.”

Be it through a pandemic, or growing older, or both, I think we can all relate to this discovery. Grammy wins, or no, many people are reaching a point where all that we thought was important isn’t the source of their joy. This is where simplicity, appreciation, and, most importantly, time are the keys to happiness.

The real kicker comes when she refutes the idea of happiness and self-worth having an expiration date.

“Whoever tried to condition women to feel that we are supposed to feel old or unhappy when we turn 40 got it ALL THE WAY F’d UP,” She wrote. “This has been the best I’ve felt in my life.”

Beyonce signed off her note with a bumble bee daring and an “I love you deep” (with the word “deep” being written out 40 times, a clever touch).

It’s a good reminder that we all are still learning how to navigate life, regardless of how wealthy or successful anyone might be. Sometimes, we believe we know everything. Sometimes, we worry that our best days may be behind us. And sometimes, as Queen Bey has eloquently put it, it might take a while- and some deep reflection- before we realize how much we’ve “GROWN GROWN.”