Another Year

“It was my birthday! I didn’t think you had to go to court on your birthday!” — Judge Judy defendant

It was the most hilarious of cases. The plaintiff had covered the bail for the defendant. Obviously, most people don’t understand the bail process because they really don’t have to. If you show up for your court date then whoever put the money up gets it back. Well, the defendant above didn’t know that. Now, her friend was out all that money. The line she uttered above was pure gold.

I suppose you can put people into two categories. There are those that make a production out of their birthday. They take a day off work, or they are one of those people that make a week long production out of the whole affair. Then there are those that don’t. Heck, maybe just mentioning all this makes me a part of their first category.

Of course, some of that is by design. This time of year tends to get folded over into all of the other stuff. I imagine it is close enough to Christmas where most friends and family can get double bang for their buck. However, you start to pay attention to these things more as we get older and wiser and my birthday happened to come closer to the birth of the new liturgical year. So, it is also a new year’s celebration as well.

When you get to a certain age, you stop really wanting stuff. As kids, we loved video games, buying CDs and cassettes for our favorite bands, and maybe getting that swag for our favorite teams. Some of that stuff is still cool I guess, but sometimes we just want a quiet day where nothing really goes wrong. Maybe that is why some people insist on taking their birthday off.

These days often come with some sadness. When we don’t want anything then it turns into what others perceive that we need. When that goes away it turns into the exchange of the gift cards. At this point, it just becomes nice to spend some time with people you like. Otherwise, our aspirations extend beyond ourselves.

So, I’ll treat it like a reboot. It’s a new year in so many ways. Obviously, you get the usual resolutions to be healthier and live better, but the better resolution is just to be a better human being. I want to enjoy friends and family more. Social media often helps us hide behind a proverbial wall. It’s the paradox of being connected without actual connection.

So, there will be no high-minded message today. I don’t quite have the energy for it. Maybe something will come to me tomorrow. We can talk about crazy people, verdicts, and politicians later. Maybe I am being a bit selfish today. Most people would agree I am entitled.