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For my birthday this year, I’m asking for donations to charity. I’ve chosen a charity because their mission means a lot to me, and I hope that you’ll consider contributing as a way of celebrating with me. Every little bit will help me reach my goal. I’ve included information about the charity below.
Actually, sod that. Just go to my Amazon wish list, see what I want and buy it for me. I simply can’t get enough music, books, underpants and socks. Give, give, give, baby and I’ll take, take, take. It’s my birthday and I’ll grift if I want to.
Obviously, I’m just kidding, as is my wont. While I am not a great fan of folk announcing how great they are by forsaking birthday presents by instead requesting donations go to a charity of their choice, I respect the sentiment. And anyway, I am already hugely generous and donate vast sums and hours to the charity of my choice. Happy birthday to me.
One glance at my social media feeds and I quickly realise how many charities want a chunk of my cash. Today it’s Shelter, Crisis, Centrepoint and Mind, among others, asking for help. And believe me, I want to donate to all of them. The trouble is if I do, I will end up needing the charities myself.
We all know why charities exist: they’re to pay for things that society – that’s us – don’t deem important enough for people to pay for collectively through taxation. You know, minor things like food poverty, cancer research, former armed service personnel, the air ambulance service, lifeboats and mental health, to name but a few. And in a society in which everything is broken and doesn’t work, charitable giving is now the norm. Need the local hospice? Just as well some people did a long walk to raise funds for it, then.
I am obviously thrilled to receive this year’s selection of music, books, underpants and socks, all of which I regard as essential to my personal hygiene and mental health but my serious aim for this year is to be a better person than the one I was last year and to do more to help others. Generally, to be more kind. That’s very difficult in a world where there are so many people I hate, like Nigel Farage, Rupert Murdoch, Elon Musk, as well as the ‘music’ of Queen and the ‘comedy’ of Mrs Brown’s Boys.
It really is better to give than receive, although I wasn’t quite sure about that when finding my new underpants and socks in my vast mountain of presents. I may donate them to charity when they’ve worn out.
Happy birthday to me. It’s Eclectic Blue day again. So special that Mark Radcliffe sang Howard’s Way for me on here, about 38 minutes in.