Jul 17, 2011 3 min read

Birthday Forgotten

Hey, Coach! I have been a friend of my current boyfriend since grade school, and he always remembered me on my birthday in junior high, high school and college. Since we got out of college, we have been dating. Things were going really well until recently. We went to dinner and a movie on my birthday, but he went the whole night and never mentioned it. I was heartbroken and didn’t understand why he would forget my birthday. After he left me off at my house, I was very upset and told my mom what happened. She said he must have forgotten. When he called the next day, I told him I was upset because he forgot my birthday. He said he completely forgot and that he was sorry, but I haven’t felt like talking to him. If my boyfriend forgets about my birthday, he must not be thinking about me too much. Don’t you think forgetting your girlfriend’s birthday is unforgiveable? Signed…..Very Hurt

Dear Very Hurt: Things like this can happen, and the feeling here is that forgetting a birthday does not make someone a bad person, although it obviously can put someone in the dog house. You say things have been going really well, so let’s go under the assumption that your boyfriend had a brain cramp at a most inopportune time. Yes; it’s not a great time to have one, but, nevertheless, let’s try to look at this as yesterday’s news. Hopefully this will not upset you further, but you could have really set yourself apart by not making a big deal out of this. Yes; he should have remembered. Yes; you’re upset. And, yes; you are also holding this against him. So; if you plan on staying with him, let’s move forward and laugh about it now. It can be a “playful” joke a time or two under the appropriate circumstances (only when it’s just between you two and it doesn’t make him feel bad), and then move forward with life. Life is short, and, again, you could really score a lot of points if you let him off the hook immediately. After all, it appears from here that this truly was an honest mistake. Even though this was a very important day in your life, please allow others to be human.

Lastly; happy belated birthday!

Running vs. Walking

Hey, Coach! Is running or walking better? Signed…Footloose

Dear Footloose: This is a question that could have many different answers. Running and walking both have unique advantages and disadvantages depending on what you are trying to accomplish. While walking is great for some, running is better for people that are trying to get more cardio during their workout and/or are trying to condition for a sport. Running is high impact, but it will also burn more calories per minute. It will also get you in much better shape a lot faster.

Coach’s Comments: Many things can come to us if we hustle while we wait. Be safe, and thanks for making the Coach a part of your weekend!