Why is it that our most special days are often disappointing?

Maybe it’s because the anticipation messes with our heads. Or maybe it’s because our friends and family are all self- absorbed cheapskates. Or maybe we just run out of time. Twenty-four hours is hardly enough time to celebrate the dazzling miracle of such a birth.

If the clock strikes midnight at the end of your birthday, and you don’t feel adequately celebrated, don’t pout or be a martyr. Declare an extension. Make dates with all the people who forgot or claimed to have schedule conflicts. They will be touched – or at least caught off guard. And though they may not plan a party, they will probably say, “Happy Birthday.”
You will soon feel happily satisfied by the attention or happy to let it go for another year.

Excerpted from Do Your Laundry or You’ll Die Alone: Advice Your Mom Would Give if She Thought You Were Listening. You can buy it here.