I've been thinking about birthdays... so goes this entry. Now, today isn't my birthday -- I didn't want to blog about my birthday on the actual date, so that people who read this blog whom forgot/don't know about my birthday aren't guilt-tripped into doing something, just because they're suddenly reminded. =)
Indeed, I've always been very passive about my birthday. If someone asks when it is, I will tell them, but to me, advertising it seems to me to be self-centered, as if you're telling others in the expectation that you'll get something in return. This may or may not be true, and it's one of these things about human behavior and social values I'm still trying to discern.
Similarly, I've always shyed away from planning my own birthday activities, for the same perceived reason, that people will think I'm self centered, when I want to act in my heart, as well as project an image of being exactly the opposite. If someone else throws a party for me, I will wholeheartedly join in and be thankful of it, but the key is that someone else has to do the organization and announcing, not me. The dilemma is that I like it when people celebrate it, but I don't know how to communicate that fact in a way that doesn't sound like I'm tooting my own horn, so to speak.
I was actually having some conversations with a couple of friends of mine, talking about what I was going to do. The advice I got was just to take matters into my own hands. I guess as you grow older, it's more acceptable to be your own host, but I still want to get others involved in it, so it's not exclusively about me, for me, and by me. What do you all think?
In any case, thank you to all those that emailed/IMed/called/spoke to me to express their wishes. It really makes my day, and one of my resolutions going forward is to similarly be concientious of other people's birthdays too... =)