I'm the Grinch Who Stole Birthdays
So - I have this theory that, once you're a grown-up, you shouldn't expect people to make a big deal out of your birthday. (P.S. If your reading this, that probably means you're a grown-up).
Now, I know that certain families have traditions, and of course, if it's your family (or a request you have made of friends) you can have a fair expectation for a certain amount of attention, love, gifts, whatever.
Suffice to say - this is not a popular theory. But I do wonder if we have overly stoked expectations for this sort of stuff because we live in a close-knit Christian context.
Let me put it this way: If my job was as a systems analyst at IBM - I couldn't expect people there to:
A) Know it was my birthday
B) Care if it was my birthday
C) Buy me presents, throw me a party and bring me cards and cake
Again - I'm assuming I'm not close friends with ALL my co-workers: "A man of too many friends comes to ruin..." Proverbs 18:24
I'm not saying we shouldn't do anything for anyone. For example - I asked some of my friends to take me out to dinner this year for my birthday. It was fun. I was thankful for their appreciation of me, amen.
So my question: Do we have unrealistic expectations when it comes to this? I guess you already know my answer.
Another question someone might know the answer to: Is all this birthday stuff uniquely American or do other cultures celebrate birthdays of everyone yearly?
And a brief note: This really has NOTHING to do with ANYONE who has had a birthday in the last month, week, etc. - it's something I've thought about for years.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
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7 comments:
First thing: I am a grown up so I guess I can now read your blog without shame..
Second: I expect people to wear t-shirts with my picture on them(like a picture of J-DIEHL) but a HUGE picture, where the picture is covering the whole shirt....then I would expect everyone to sing to me all the time and tell me something wonderful(like at summer camp they call it the encouragement circle)
Then,well then I would let you let you punch me in the face because even if you are Jared Diehl this ain't real at all(ask me how I know)
BYE-YOU ARE GENIUS
Kyle are you a little b-day jaded? Poor precious guy! You needed more attention for it! I have a blog now and I put you on my "role" I hope that's okay!
a wind blown happy
~breez
john3:8
I think we sometimes do have too many expectations when it comes to birthdays.
What makes me laugh is when we don't tell ANYONE that our birthday is coming up, except for one brief and quiet mention to a close friend about 3 or 4 weeks before-hand... and then we get all depressed when no one knows about it and they don't make a huge point of celebrating us. I mostly laugh at this because I have kind of done it.
However... I enjoy birthdays on the night watch. I think we take them just a little bit over the top sometimes... and I think it's totally a good thing. I like letting my friends know how glad I am that they were born. (And, I figure I need a few years of night watch birthdays to compensate for a childhood full of December birthday disappointments.)
thanks for the sympathy breezy - and for adding me to your 'blogroll'.
Last year for my birthday, we set up big white tents in the parking lot and all of IHOP turned up to celebrate. Higher Grounds even gave me a free cup of coffee, and all I had to do was wait in line...
Okay, okay. Seriously, I agree that we tend to place unfair expectations on our friends that they don't know about and therefore don't meet. Now that I've passed my big milestone "21," I've got a few years to wait yet until I hit another big deal birthday anyway. I'm anticipating the next couple years' worth of aging to be non-events, although if anyone wants to throw me a ridiculously big party in the meantime, feel free. ;)
Amanda, are you saying that you are only 21?
Dear kyle,
Not celebrate birthdays?
What kind of damn dumb boy are you? Did your momma drop you on your head boy??
One may as well not celebrate holloween - labor day - thanksgiving - and presidents day.
Lets have school 7 days a week and 365 days a year. no time off for good behavior. nose to the grindstone - damn the torpeados and full steam ahead!!!! Bring back slavery - Work 80 hour weeks and no more Sundays. (we did manage to scrap them in the past 50 years)
Birthdays - a barometer of time spent - life lived and history. Man is not good at remembering his mistakes of the past - think how prone he would be at repeating past mistakes without history.
No birthdays Kyle?? I think not. No history Kyle?? I think not.
Throw out Easter, the Easter Bunny and the baby with the wash water.
Throw out Memorial day, Veterans day and the momories of all the men and women that died for the freedom we all have.
Throw out Christmas!! What!! Christman!!! Yes Kyle, Christmas too!!
The birth of Christ. The celebration of the hottest birthday that rolls around every year. The big dog on the block. Throw out the celebration of Christ birthday!! Of course with it goes Christianity and the Bible!!
Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Clause. And yes Kyle celebrate birthdays!!!!!!!!!!!!. Not the greed of "what will I get", but the need of "what can I give". What can I give my fellow man this year for the next year I get to "be".
Celebrate "being". Celebrate the love of family and friends that wish you well for the next year you get to live and the love that Christ gave you by dying for your sins. Celebrate every day of that year when your feet hit the floor in the morning by saying "thank you Lord for one more day. "Thank you for my friends and family that love me so much. Thank you for letting me just "be".
Celebrate every birthday like it is the last one you are gonna get. Some day it will be.
And as a closing thought - how would we know when to draw social security without birthdays mister smartty pants??
Tax Man
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