opticnerve

I was going to wait until Wednesday to do this, but I didn't want to keep this to myself and I'm probably going to play hooky on that day to go surfing. Anyway, some background, so you'll understand why my birthday gift this year is significant. I've never been big into celebrating my birthday. I'm a pretty shy person, and I don't like being the centre of attention. Even as a child, when I had birthday parties, I always felt uncomfortable at them, and I would fade into the background to the point where the kids attending the party wouldn't have been able to tell you they were there to celebrate my day. I stopped getting gifts when I was 16, and outside of my immediate family, no one has ever remembered my birthday. Every year for the last 19+ years, I have passed May 30th without a celebration. I also have to admit, if you haven't guessed, that I have pretty low self-esteem. I've never thought of myself good enough for anyone or for anything. Yeah, I know, it's kind of stupid to think that, given how much I've so far accomplished in my life; but every time I think about my situation, I always see what I haven't done, what I haven't got and what I am not. That attitude gets instilled in you when your grandmother tells you right to your face that you are physically ugly. Anyway, I won't get into that.

With those facts in mind, let me show you the gift I got this year.