In terms of my practice and over-all philosophy of life I’m ambivalent at best about celebrating my own birthday but all in when it comes to celebrating those of others. Some of this has to do with my ideas about how a student of the Dhamma should behave whereas others are a direct result of passing attention to the mind on my birthdays.
The mind is inclined to feel hurt on these days when it is not acknowledged the way it is accustomed to and spends most of the day inwardly lamenting is lot. Self-pity is one of the more abominable stories of mind in my view and it is my most frequent birthday companion.
What to do about it? In our contemporary culture there’s no chance of it going away but I can use the day to give thanks for all the beings who suffer to keep me alive and suffered to give me life.
Cattāri Brahmavihārā 
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