on birthdays

yay, the day you were born, forever after celebrated as your "birthday." to be honored on this day, means that there exists a level of gratitude or happiness, if you will, that you were born into this world and that your existence is somehow meaningful and relevant.

"to honor," someone's birthday, can take the form of a lavish party complete with goofy hats and a clown or chocolate cake and champagne. it can also be as simple as a pre-printed card or a personal message sent as a text. the point is to acknowledge a birthday in some way, to say "hey, i'm glad you were born, thanks for being part of my life."

birthdays become a problem when the person celebrating one determines their worth based on how many ponies, balloons, and people are involved on that special day and worse yet, determines how much a particular person loves them based on the method of honoring.

*soapbox moment*

i fucking hate, and yes i am using strong language here on purpose, when a person brings their own birthday to my attention with the expectation that i deliver the goods. if i want to remember your birthday, i will. if i don't, then i fucking won't. closely related is the "it's my birthday, i can do what i want or let's celebrate all week" attitude followed by a forgetting of other birthdays. go ahead, sip bacardi all week, tell everyone it's your birthday so you get a million well-wishes, but do not forget other birthdays. if you're going to make a big deal of your own, you better make damn sure you are making a big deal about the birthdays of those close to you.

*end soapbox moment*

better yet, don't wait for a designated day to tell someone that you are glad they were born, that you are glad they are in your life. tell them when they aren't expecting it, it'll mean more.