She might just be the most entitled grandma on the planet.

When my sister was little, she hated her «snow birthday.» She was so happy when we moved from Illinois to Texas, because her birthday went from a snowed-in affair to a 55-degree day. Being born in January rather than September has many downsides. You don’t get as many presents because everyone has spent all of their money over the holidays. People don’t want to go out and party because they’ve made New Year’s Resolutions that forbid them from having a good time. And worst of all, the weather is usually extremely depressing. It’s much more difficult to celebrate when there’s snow on the ground that makes the commute to your birthday party kind of miserable.

And yet, we still make it out for our friends and family’s birthday parties, even when they’re at inconvenient times and in inclement weather. That’s a big part of being part of a community. You might not always want to go to your friend’s birthday party when it’s raining, and you had a bad day at work, but you do it anyway because it’s their big day and they deserve to feel appreciated. If they came out for your birthday, you really have no excuse for skipping theirs if your only justification for bailing is that you’re not «feeling it.» We all need to show up for the people in our lives, even if it isn’t the most convenient time or the weather isn’t ideal.