Birthday

(Matt's Voice)

I really don't care about Birthdays. I know that they are important to other people and so I meet the social expectation of doing things for people's birthdays but all things the same I would happily do away with them entirely.

I am happy to get older. I mean it. I don't get depressed or upset. But I also don't really have positive feelings about my birthday either. I've been given many wonderful birthday parties over the years and have LOVED them, but I think that I would have been just as happy had those parties been for someone else's birthday (or just a party...)

In adulthood, when you can buy anything that you reasonably want or need, I no longer need presents and it just seems greedy to want to have a party and then make it all about me.

So for the past several years I have asked (if anyone inquires) not to be given presents. Some people you can't stop but, fortunately, all of these people have the grace and smarts to get me things that are fantastically useful. Em makes me Naniamo bars. Her extended family gave me bread and Chapters gift cards (love those). My side of the family made/got me a cool nerdy board game (Le Havre), mittens, and $$$. All wonderful and very useful things:)

The best part was that there was no "stuff". I don't need more "stuff" and don't have room for it anyway. Money spent on "stuff" would just end up being wasted when it could go to much better places (see, I did get the poverty donation angle in there!)

One thing slipped through. In the mail I got a card. (I'm not talking about the one from my Grandparents. For the record I love getting mail from my Grandparents because I love them and it's nice to know that they are thinking of me)

Generally, I don't like the idea of cards. They cost $5 to begin with and usually have corny sayings inside. The only part that you would care to read is the note written by a family member/friend which could have been written on a napkin, thereby saving $5. Em cuts up old calendars with nature pics on them to make cards which I like. Reuse AND have a tough looking cougar on your card! Plus no hallmark message that you have to wade through.

So you can imagine my surprise.....
"hmmm... I don't recognize the address..."



That's right. The car dealership. THE CAR DEALERSHIP SENT ME A BIRTHDAY CARD!!!!

I almost called them right then to say "Don't contact me... EVER. I'll call you when something breaks"

I don't want it. I don't need it. They had to spend valuable seconds in the day writing a birthday card to some dude who bought a car from them. I guess this is supposed to make me want to go in there to get my servicing done when the warranty runs out...... YEESH!!!!!