Happy Birthday to Me

Birthdays are a bit different today than when I was a kid. Part of it is the difference between the perspective of a child and an adult, but a lot of it is the changing world.

The very first birthday greeting I received today was a text message from my local pharmacy sending me, “best wishes for a joyous day.” I also received birthday greetings (via email) from my dentist, the American Red Cross, and the guy who sold me my car four years ago. Is it just me, or does anybody else find this brave new world a little weird? That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate birthday greetings.

I received twelve text messages from loved ones and 46 Facebook friends posted on my wall. Does Facebook make it easy by reminding those connected to me that its my bday? Yes, they do. But that doesn’t make me any less grateful that 46 friends took time out of their day to let me know they were thinking of me.

I miss having dinner with the family I grew up with, and I wish my mom was here to give me a birthday hug. However, I’m thankful that a dear friend called my cell phone and when he got my voicemail message, he sang a heartfelt birthday wish to me. That was very special.

Thanks Friends, near and far, for the birthday wishes. You all made my day a little brighter.