I had a birthday recently and it was great. Birthdays when you are an adult can be somewhat anti-climatic as getting older is no longer something you look forward to and there are still bills to pay and work to do. But alas, Facebook now allows adults to receive birthday greetings from their network of 'friends'- if you can count people you rarely hear from as friends- but that's a different matter. And hearing from people is great, especially on your birthday.
A couple years ago, when I first started getting greetings from facebook people, I would remember who sent me a birthday greeting and then make sure I sent one to that person. If someone didn't send me a greeting, I probably didn't send them one. Pretty simple . . . and also pretty selfish. I mean, it costs nothing for me, other than some time and keystrokes, to send a birthday greeting. And I think often times I live my life thinking that if I give, I ought to receive something. This too is a pretty selfish way to live life. If I keep living life this way, I might as well expect continual disappointment. But if I give with the expectation of not receiving something in return, but instead focus on the act of giving and being thankful that I can give something (even if it's as simple as a greeting), then there's much less disappointment and I still benefit from it. Which I guess is still somewhat selfish, but perhaps a better kind.
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