Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Post birthday rant

January is packed with birthdays of family and friends - including my own. I'm always happy to celebrate, but I've noticed a disturbing trend.

It started with the younger crowd, as trends often do (Facebook started primarily for college students, and is now primarily used by old farts like me). In the last several years, it's spread to people who really should know better. The trend?

Celebrating a birth "week" instead of a birth "day".

Otherwise rational adults are talking with great anticipation and glee of the multiple celebrations planned for their birth week. Parties, dinners, outings - it seems the more, the better. Celebrities are in on the action (Ellen DeGeneres is currently doing her birthday week shows).

While I'm not surprised that this is happening (after all, everything is about me, Me, ME! these days), I am surprised that people don't see the irony. None of us, after all, had much of anything to say about being born. If anyone is to be feted, it should be our mothers, who did the truly hard work, and our fathers, who contributed a vital piece to the process.

For years society has tried to sweep the idea of getting older under the rug. Billions of dollars are spent each year on anti-aging creams, serums and snake oils by people desperate to wipe out any visible signs of the forward march of time. Cosmetic surgery practices are booming. People die in the pursuit of younger looking faces and bodies.

Yet these same people see no issue with spending a week celebrating the turn of the calendar on another year of life?

As I said, it makes no sense.

Now that I'm yet another year older, I'm embracing my inner curmudgeon. If I see you near your birthday, I will happily congratulate you. If, however, you make any reference to your "birthday week", expect a sharp rap from my cane.

Now get off my lawn.

1 comment:

melissa said...

I can hear your sarcasm (I did hear it, didn't I?) I'm such a glutton for the holidays of February. Our anniversary, Valentine's and my birthday.

I gloat over it all month.

Please don't throw things at me. ;)