Danica McKellar has one request from fans on her birthday.
On Sunday, the actress celebrated her 46th birthday with a bare-faced selfie and candid note about the personal growth she's experienced in the last year, tasking her fans with a similar undertaking in 2021.
"So this is 46 … no makeup, no filter, no hairbrush. 😅 Man, 45 was a rollercoaster. It's interesting having a birthday so close to Jan 1st because with each new year comes a new age," The Wonder Years star began her lengthy caption. "My year 45 … taught me to weather storms in a way I'd never had to. (I think most of us have experienced that in the last year.)"
McKeller said that the endless challenges of 2020 taught her "buck up and look at hard things." She made it her mission to take a deeper dive into the issue of child trafficking and the ways she could help bring it to an end.
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"Speaking of uncomfortable, hey anyone else feel [sic] massively uncomfortable about, um, alot of things in 2020?? The division and fear that has descended on this country, our world … ugh," McKellar continued.
The Christmas She Wrote star then told followers that her "birthday wish" is for them to "pick an issue and examine the other side's points with an open mind."
"Search yourself for empathy and *look for common ground* – notice the discomfort that brings, and also feel your heart open a little. 🙏 (This is a big favor I'm asking, I know)," she added. "From my (46-year-old! 😋) perspective, it seems that digging heels in and being just 'sure' that we know anything about anything political … inexorably leads to arrogance and division. Let's face it – we aren't told everything. We simply don't *know* everything about *anything.* Which would mean that most of the hate and division has been based on jumping to conclusions, see?"
McKellar then charged her fans to "trust" their "personal experiences" when examining their opinions.
"The things we actually know … aren't found in books or on the news or social media feeds. Trust your personal experiences over the hype, love your friends and families, help others often, and look for commonalities between yourself and 'the other side,' " she ended her note. "That's my birthday wish. And thank you so much if you made it this far. ❤ Okay 46 … let's do this! 👊"
The actress, best known for her role as Winnie Cooper in The Wonder Years, is slated to star in the upcoming Hallmark movie, Matchmaker Mysteries: A Killer Engagement. The mystery drama will premiere on Jan. 29.
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