Vicissitudes and Victories

On Birthdays and Parties

Today my friends and I were able to pull off the unthinkable for another friend--we actually surprised her with a surprise birthday party. The reason that we surprised her was that she thought she hadn't told anyone about her birthday. Yet I found out about her birthday through one of her former roommates and organized a small gathering with some well placed balloons and streamers. She looked very pleased at our efforts and her mother looked even happier because of our appreciation for her daughter. The whole process has got me thinking about birthdays.

Why do some people love birthdays and others feel indifferent toward them? I, myself, do not like to tell anyone about my birthday, but secretly I want someone to remember it. Yet I very much like to celebrate others' birthdays. I was much maligned because I took thank you notes to all the people that threw me a surprise birthday party for my last birthday, but I was really grateful for the opportunity to see so many good friends come together to celebrate our friendships. When we celebrate a birthday, we celebrate that person's meaningfulness to humanity. I think that is why it is important to honor others on their birthdays, and to let them make a fuss over us on ours.

posted by Joel @ 11:25 PM