You can always count on family and, sometimes, a bit more ...
These days, in my family, birthdays are one of the few days of the year we really make any sort of big deal about. (Thanksgiving being one of the others.) Days like Memorial Day or 4th of July just never merited much attention. Halloween has pretty much become a sometime affair. (I didn't celebrate it at all this year.) And, over the years, we even stopped celebrating Christmas. So I wasn't surprised when, by 9AM this morning, I'd already received happy birthday wishes from my mom, dad, and bro. I even got a call from my sister-in-law, even though I'm sure she hasn't been told the full story of why birthdays became so important to us.
Outside of the family, however, I was expecting that, pretty much, no one would remember and that the day would pass by in a relatively low-key manner. And, for the most part, I wasn't disappointed. And yet, maybe because I wasn't expecting it, I was both pleasantly surprised and thankful when there were people who DID remember. It seems like such a small thing, wishing someone a happy birthday. And yet, for me at least, it was extremely gratifying.
I don't know. Do people feel the same way as me about this? Or am I just a sentimental, old bastard?
Outside of the family, however, I was expecting that, pretty much, no one would remember and that the day would pass by in a relatively low-key manner. And, for the most part, I wasn't disappointed. And yet, maybe because I wasn't expecting it, I was both pleasantly surprised and thankful when there were people who DID remember. It seems like such a small thing, wishing someone a happy birthday. And yet, for me at least, it was extremely gratifying.
I don't know. Do people feel the same way as me about this? Or am I just a sentimental, old bastard?