People who have a birthday so close to a holiday miss out on something others experience on their birthday celebrations. They don't have to deal with exhausted people, overfed, tired from wrapping, worried about paying the bills from the credit card companies, and all that people are met with on the day-after let-down. It was hard to work up energy to celebrate a friend's birthday in a restaurant after having eaten my way through enormous feasts for the past two days. However, a long time friend was born the day after Christmas 84 years ago. He is a widower and had no plans to celebrate this special day. He didn't fight going out, though he unsuccessfully fought allowing himself to be treated to his choice of dinner.
It was then I realized, once again, what an old boss had told me years ago and which I scarcely comprehended at the time. There is no such thing as an altruistic act. When one gives to another, one identifies with the recipient and vicariously takes pleasure in being both giver and recipient.
Driving to the restaurant and finding an almost fully packed, very large parking lot. I speculated there were a few people taking out Mom or whoever had done the Holiday cooking, and indeed, within the restaurant it certainly appeared that way. Maybe people might have been taking advantage of gift cards so they could escape the turkey carcass or yet another mound of dishes in the sink....who knows? Whatever their reasons for being in a restaurant the day after Christmas, I thoroughly enjoyed my friend's pleasure at eating something he didn't have to cook himself and I enjoyed listening to what he has been learning while reading Scientific American.
It was then I realized, once again, what an old boss had told me years ago and which I scarcely comprehended at the time. There is no such thing as an altruistic act. When one gives to another, one identifies with the recipient and vicariously takes pleasure in being both giver and recipient.
Driving to the restaurant and finding an almost fully packed, very large parking lot. I speculated there were a few people taking out Mom or whoever had done the Holiday cooking, and indeed, within the restaurant it certainly appeared that way. Maybe people might have been taking advantage of gift cards so they could escape the turkey carcass or yet another mound of dishes in the sink....who knows? Whatever their reasons for being in a restaurant the day after Christmas, I thoroughly enjoyed my friend's pleasure at eating something he didn't have to cook himself and I enjoyed listening to what he has been learning while reading Scientific American.
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