It is lovely, when I forget all birthdays, including my own, to find that somebody remembers me.

Glasgow’s line turns a social convention—remembering birthdays—into a small meditation on recognition and affection. By admitting she forgets “all birthdays, including my own,” the speaker presents herself as detached from ritual and self-importance, yet still quietly susceptible to the warmth of being held in another person’s mind. The pleasure comes not from the date itself but from the evidence of care: someone has taken the trouble to remember. The quote captures a tension between independence (or absent-mindedness) and the human need for connection, suggesting that even those who dismiss ceremonies can be moved by simple, unsolicited attention.