I Don't Do Birthdays

My Dear Princess and Dear Friends,

Now look. 

I DO NOT DO BIRTHDAYS. 

This has been my longstanding policy for A NUMBER OF YEARS now. People ask me why and I tell them it is because I hate all those questions about what I want - 

- I don't want anything. Really. There is nothing I want. I'm just not into "things", man.

And I hate all those questions about what I'm doing -

- I'm not doing ANYTHING. Trust me on this. My favourite thing is not doing things. What I want to do for my birthday is no things.

I do not care about getting older. But everyone thinks I do. Because of the aforementioned not doing birthdays, they think I mind being 52.

Actually, I'm kind of into it. This feels like the age I've been aiming for this whole time. Childhood was horrific. Teenage years traumatising. My twenties and thirties far too dramatic and filled with incident. 

I felt comfortable with myself in my 40's though. And 50's has been fine so far. Physically, nothing has fallen off and everything appears to be working. I nap more, but I like naps. Trust me on this, it is all good. 

So I DO NOT DO BIRTHDAYS.

That is what I thought. 

But on Tuesday in Mount Maunganui, Feefs BIRTHDAY DOBBED ME IN to Fazzy.

"FEEFS!" I said. 

"It's all right Symon," Fazzy smiled sweetly. "Maybe I already knew."

CA-ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Birthday-dobbed by my own wife. That's a hard pill to swallow.

And this is how I came to have my team singing "Happy Birthday" to me on Teams this morning. And then Fazzy's family wishing me happy birthday on Teams from their house. And THEN a ma-hoooo-sive cake from the Princess* delivered to my house this afternoon. 

YOU PEOPLE. 

Actually it is beautiful and lovely and I love you all. Caro brought me presents and the nicest, sweetest card. And also cards from the cats**. Jasper has been hanging around me all day. Caro reckons he has missed me from all the travel. 

So I am feeling very loved today. It is a nice feeling. Also, full of cake. 

S.

* Don't think I didn't get the special secret hidden meaning of the cake, Princess. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is still the best film I ever went to see with you. 

** Including Dave and Dr. Girlfriend.