Probably not your birthday…
…but if it is, hello Virgo! Many happy returns of the season to you.
This week I celebrated a year of growing older and (probably) wiser. And my socials were all a-quiver with excitable wishes from friends, colleagues and strangers.
At last count my digital self has been lavished with 140 messages, gifs and emojis, and I ‘hearted’ each one – because digital etiquette.
But as I read through ‘em I started noticing a pattern.
Mixed in with the so-generic-they-can’t-be-duped messages like,
Have a great birthday and Happy birthday Phyllis etc. were some outliers…
Smile! It’s your birthday. Enjoy your big day! It’s your birthday, make a wish.
After the third ‘It’s your birthday, make a wish.’ I caught on. Damn you Meta for spoon-feeding the scroll-weary! But, I get it. We’re in a worldwide epidemic of the busies.
The morning after my birthday, and as if Facebook was atoning for luring my online pals into carbon copy madness… I’d arranged to meet a chick from FB marketplace to buy a dress for the grand sum of $5. She arrived in an apologetic rush but within minutes she’d rejected my cash, given me the dress and a quick bonus hug as mindless commuters zipped by, oblivious.
We all want a little attention on our birthdays – that’s why God invented ‘em.
So, if you were one of the many who zapped an auto-generated message my way this week, thank you, truly. It’s the thought that counts, I think?
© Phyllis Foundis 2025