Historically, I dread this time of year. I don’t particularly enjoy my birthday, and I don’t particularly enjoy receiving birthday greetings.

I do appreciate that others might receive some utility from wishing and greeting me a happy birthday. Perhaps they believe their message is a bright spot in my day.

I do appreciate that someone thought about me. Some people enjoy being thought about it.

But for me, the value of acknowledging that I am not 365 calendar days older than I was before creates little to no value. I could say that about every day — every calendar day is 365 days from the same time last year.

So what’s my problem? Nothing.

This is a time of year for me when I need to necessarily chill. I need to retreat to myself for a bit — recover and restore my energy, spend more time in reflection, and not go out of my way to exert. Almost like re-birthing myself into my next 365 day cycle.