On a popular image site, I saw a captured text message thread of a person who was receiving texts for a wrong number. The texts were wishing him a happy birthday and asking what he wanted for his present. Deciding to prank the real recipient, he asked for a bunch of One Direction merchandise. The result could be taken as funny or cruel, depending on your sympathy for random strangers. Some say his birthday was “ruined”.
There’s where I perk up my antennae. I remember the day my birthday was “ruined” and I never celebrated my birthday since. In hindsight, it was pretty ridiculous that I got all upset over the situation, and at the same time, I now feel it was ridiculous to make a big deal out of my birthday anyway.
There are some people that think their birthday is some magical day and they put a whole lot of effort into it and have very high expectations. Since I’ve given up on that celebration, I don’t see the value in it. It definitely increases the chance of disappointment, and why would you want that to happen on a day that you hold in such high regard? Not to mention, this belief puts undue stress on the people who have to make your day “happen”.
It’s kind of my personal philosophy to stay out of everyone’s way and not be a burden on anyone. That makes me sound like a hermit, and I’m not exactly opposed to that label. I’ve become generally self-sufficient. When asked what I want for my birthday (or Christmas, for that matter), I don’t have an answer. There’s nothing really that I want or need that I can’t get for myself. So the incredibly few people who insist on celebrating these events with me are always struggling for ideas. It reminds me of me trying to buy gifts for my dad.
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