Do you make a big deal out of birthdays at work? Do you have big parties? One for each birthday? One every week or month? We do, make a big deal that is. We don't have a whole lot of employees, so it's easy to make a big deal out of each birthday. Our tradition is to get an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen and all sit down together at 3pm and eat like pigs. We all know it's gross, but we just love that electric blue and pink icing and the cookie and fudge that's in the middle. But, sometimes we jump off the bridge of safety and go all wild and get a wonderful fruit pie, or something more personal and dramatic.
We also joke all the time that there are months in which we don't have birthdays to celebrate and that any new people we hire must have their birthday in one of those months. Or, they at least need to be willing to pretend they do.
Well, several months ago we were lucky enough to hire a person to fill the vacant birthday month of March. We even told her that it was half the reason we hired her (that's when we discovered she has a sense of humor much like our own). I think it's also important to note here that this new employee is the first ever female hired to work in our workshop. Until she came aboard, the only females occupied the offices, not the shop floor where the real work is done. So, she was a monumental hire for more reasons than one. And we've loved having her here.
So, fast-forward to today. It's 4:15. Everyone goes home at 5:00. I'm spacing out at my computer and my gaze is blindly fixed on the birthday calendar on the wall. See, it's my job to keep track of the birthdays and remember to order the cake, buy the card, etc.
My blind stare begins to flash wildly: MARCH 20 MARCH 20 MARCH 20.
As I come back to life I realize what I'm reading. Our new employee's birthday is today. Oh, I am SUCH A HUGE LOSER. I've missed it. No cake. No card. I can't very well just walk out there now and say, "Oh, happy birthday, sorry we forgot you...I know it's your first birthday with us and all, and you're our first female in the shop and all, very important, but well, we all forgot." Ugh. LOSER LOSER LOSER.
I walked into my boss' office to tell him the bad news, "We totally blew it, " I said.
He turned in his chair to face me. A grimace stole over his face. I sat down, straight back, hands in my lap.
"We forgot Liz's birthday." (her name isn't really Liz - but I like that name - I said her real name)
"Oh, phew. I thought it was something really terrible. I thought there was a misspelling on those new postcards, or you had just found a stack that didn't get mailed, or they all got lost in the mail, or something." He paused in thought. Looked at the clock. 4:20.
"What do we do? It's too late to do anything now," I whine.
He decides we should not make a big issue out of it today and bring in a nice pie tomorrow morning and have it at our 9am break. Make a big splash early in the day tomorrow.
Then he adds very comfortably, "We can redeem ourselves tomorrow. Or, YOU can redeem yourself tomorrow."
MAN, I SUCK.
We also joke all the time that there are months in which we don't have birthdays to celebrate and that any new people we hire must have their birthday in one of those months. Or, they at least need to be willing to pretend they do.
Well, several months ago we were lucky enough to hire a person to fill the vacant birthday month of March. We even told her that it was half the reason we hired her (that's when we discovered she has a sense of humor much like our own). I think it's also important to note here that this new employee is the first ever female hired to work in our workshop. Until she came aboard, the only females occupied the offices, not the shop floor where the real work is done. So, she was a monumental hire for more reasons than one. And we've loved having her here.
So, fast-forward to today. It's 4:15. Everyone goes home at 5:00. I'm spacing out at my computer and my gaze is blindly fixed on the birthday calendar on the wall. See, it's my job to keep track of the birthdays and remember to order the cake, buy the card, etc.
My blind stare begins to flash wildly: MARCH 20 MARCH 20 MARCH 20.
As I come back to life I realize what I'm reading. Our new employee's birthday is today. Oh, I am SUCH A HUGE LOSER. I've missed it. No cake. No card. I can't very well just walk out there now and say, "Oh, happy birthday, sorry we forgot you...I know it's your first birthday with us and all, and you're our first female in the shop and all, very important, but well, we all forgot." Ugh. LOSER LOSER LOSER.
I walked into my boss' office to tell him the bad news, "We totally blew it, " I said.
He turned in his chair to face me. A grimace stole over his face. I sat down, straight back, hands in my lap.
"We forgot Liz's birthday." (her name isn't really Liz - but I like that name - I said her real name)
"Oh, phew. I thought it was something really terrible. I thought there was a misspelling on those new postcards, or you had just found a stack that didn't get mailed, or they all got lost in the mail, or something." He paused in thought. Looked at the clock. 4:20.
"What do we do? It's too late to do anything now," I whine.
He decides we should not make a big issue out of it today and bring in a nice pie tomorrow morning and have it at our 9am break. Make a big splash early in the day tomorrow.
Then he adds very comfortably, "We can redeem ourselves tomorrow. Or, YOU can redeem yourself tomorrow."
MAN, I SUCK.
2 comments:
It must be said here that the task of REMEMBERING the birthdays has always been a shared one. I am the other participant in the REMEMBERING of birthdays, but our lovely author is always in charge of the card and the cake.
I am pregnant and can't remember my name most days, so I share some of the sucking on this occasion.
The solution to this screw up was a delicious blueberry pie with optional sharp cheddar cheese and/or light cream to drizzle on top. A belated birthday card was also presented. The birthday girls was pleased and surprised and said, "Oh, and I thought I'd snuck out of here without being noticed."
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