Age? Meh.

It’s not a number.

I have a birthday tomorrow. I know this because a local department store here in Prague sent me an e-mail telling me as much (see above). Translated, it says:

We wish you all the best on your birthday tomorrow. Accept from us as a gift 25% discount on undiscounted goods.

That counts as a gift, I guess, except I have to download and install an app and buy something to receive it.

Each year, I receive a number of such e-mails from corporations sending me birthday wishes. If one was cynical, one would wonder if these messages were simply marketing without any personal interest in my happiness.

But, yes, I am aware that tomorrow could be construed as the day the Earth has returned to a particular point in its orbit around the Sun. Okay. Had a few by now. Still don’t know what to do with that.

Last November, I wrote an article entitled, “Ritual. What Is It Good For?” In it, I was not being cynical but reflected on the meaning of customs surrounding holidays. I asked,

Why perform these rituals? Why do out-of-the-ordinary things and eat out-of-the-ordinary foods on that day?

Birthdays have rituals, which we perform as is custom. Nothing wrong with that, but one can wonder why we do these rituals. And one can be cynical and…