Chatting with some people over the weekend, I remembered this event...

April 12th, 1988: It's my seventh birthday, I'm in kindergarten, and I avoid everyone at recess. No one comes close to me. I stand by the fence alone and if anyone comes near me, I get away fast. In fact, if someone invites me to play, I decline.

Halfway through the recess, I ditch out early and re-enter the classroom... to complain to Mrs. Jenneary that no one's playing with me and I feel excluded. And then I start to cry. And Mrs. Jenneary comforts me.

10 minutes later, all my classmates return from recess and enter the classroom. Once everyone is seated, Mrs. Jenneary promptly lectures everyone on how they need to play with everyone at recess - especially Paul WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS TODAY. As expected, all my classmates feel bad and go "awwwww" (even the ones I declined to play with). A lot of them apologize for excluding me. They sing "Happy Birthday."

And I sit at my desk with blood-shot cry-eyes and smile. Because everyone loves me on my birthday!