The birthday spent working still deserves a moment that belongs to the person having it.

Obligations do not pause for a date. The whole day can be given over to other people’s requirements, and often there is no way around that. What is avoidable is having none of it belong to you at all. A day can be almost entirely spent and still contain twenty minutes that were yours.

Take the twenty minutes deliberately rather than hoping a gap appears. A proper coffee somewhere, a call to the person you most want to speak to, a walk at the end. If it is someone else’s birthday and they are working, be the one who makes that moment happen.