Though I wrote very little on my blog in 2019, I did manage a post on my birthday.
It was a post lamenting a fairly rubbish birthday.
So, I had moderately high hopes that this year things would be marginally better. After all, this year my birthday fell on a Saturday and not just any Saturday, but the beginning of the Easter holidays.
So there was a reasonable chance I’d be able to mark the occasion, even if only in the most modest of ways.
I did not expect the festivities to be quite as modest as they ended up being though.
For reasons that are no doubt abundantly clear to anyone who has even the vaguest grasp of current affairs, I chose to spend my birthday mostly by staying in my house. And in the evening my family and I really pushed the boat out by not going out.
I shouldn’t complain. Not being able to celebrate one’s birthday is hardly the greatest of hardships given the state of the world. Many people have it worse than me.
And actually, my family made a real effort to make my birthday as special as it could be under the circumstances. I received no shortage of birthday wishes via social media and in the form of actual cards that people had posted early enough that they would get to me by yesterday.
Also I had presents.
Not one of those presents was toilet paper though, and really that does seem an oversight on the part of the gift-givers.
In all honesty, I was never going to do anything extravagant for my birthday and I’m grateful that I was able to spend it with my wonderful wife and daughter.
I’m also lucky to have such a lovely extended family, and while it’s hard that I can’t see them at the moment, the regular messages, photos and video we’re sharing with each other are some consolation.
We’re all a bit sadder today, because like so many, we’ve been personally affected by the current pandemic.
But I know we’ll be there for each other and during these difficult times, that really is something to hold on to.
Next year has got to be better, hasn’t it?
Well, by October this year by preference actually.
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I think we have to hold on to hope that it’s going to get better before 2020 ends just for our own sanity
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So sorry James that you and your family have been affected by the pandemic. I don’t think that it will be passing many of us by.
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Sadly Pete I think you’re right
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Happy Birthday, James.
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Thanks – I’d say ‘same to you’ but that would be weird. Unless it is your birthday. In which case, Happy Birthday!
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Actually, that was my dad’s go to response when someone wished him a happy birthday. He’d say, “Happy Birthday to you, too”
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I do it far more than I’d like to admit
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I have a wonderful photo of a toilet paper cake and if I knew how to post it in comments? I would. Guess that’s almost as bad as not receiving the real stuff for a gift… but hey. Happy birthday anyway.
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Happy Birthday! Sorry you weren’t able to celebrate it better, and definitely sorry no one thought to give you toilet paper!
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It just seemed like the perfect gift…
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I think I would quite like a toilet paper cake. It would be memorable if nothing else…
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I’ll see what I can do…
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It is worth giving up a celebration for the health and welfare of yourself and your family. Happy belated Birthday! Be safe and be well.
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I am trying to be both and I’ll gladly forego a birthday party for that.
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