Happy Birthday

If you feel like you're going out of your way to say happy birthday, honestly? Don't bother.

How did something so simple become such a chore? When did people get this lazy, this unappreciative?

It takes less than a minute to write something even a little meaningful. And yet somehow, people shorten or abbreviate it. "HBD." "ML MB." Really? That's what my existence amounts to on my one day?

This is the day someone was born. The day they survived another year, another full trip around the sun. And you can't manage two complete words?

What you're really saying is: I like you, just not enough to bother. Fine. But don't expect gratitude in return. In fact, it irks me, because now I'm obligated to respond politely to your lack of effort.

A tiny thought. A few words. That's genuinely all it takes. If you can't manage that, just stay quiet. For me, silence is better than the bare minimum. Especially when the bare minimum required almost no effort to begin with.