August 30, 2005
Happy Birthday to Me
<happy-dance> Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear Danny ... happy birthday to me! </happy dance>
And perhaps the best part of the day is that the above ditty is the only time I'll hear that song today. No party, no fuss ... all sorts of excellent.
My attitude strikes me as somewhat odd ... all the more so for the fact that I think it's widely shared. Most of my friends would be quite satisfied to let their birthdays slip by unnoticed, uncelebrated, just like every other day. We treat the well-wishes of our friends and family with a certain long-suffering face. When did birthdays become more fun for our families and friends than they did for ourselves? Actually, I'm uncertain about whether birthdays are actually more fun for friends and family than they are for ourselves, but it is our culture that our family and friends must pretend that they are, but we are under no such requirement. How odd. Why don't we like parties?
Certainly, when I was a kid, my birthday was much more important. It was one of the highlights of the entire year, let alone the entire month. It was the day of presents. Perhaps it is because of the simple fact that it is not customary to receive presents of any significance as one grows older that our interest in our birthdays flags. There's less in it for us.
I think that the attitude is somewhat stronger (statistically) in men than women ... men tend to be bored at social occasions such as parties, and need significant inducements to attend them. Women, however, tend to find them more interesting. Perhaps it has to do with a desire for social interaction, I dunno. I doubt it, actually. Guys like society of their peers very much and don't mind "hanging out with the guys." It's just that parties tend to include lots of people who are not our peers.
But even parties given just by our peers are somewhat boring. We submit to them with the best composure we can, but the keyword is submit.
For me, I think I want my birthday to be conducted quietly. I think that doing something unusual with one or two close friends would be quite sufficient to make me happy. Maybe. That and lots of presents.
God bless, you all. It is a twenty-two year-old Leatherwood who greets you.
