Animal Crossing

A late birthday memo

Grief is checking on your abandoned virtual island once a year on your birthday.

—

I had jotted down a few loose notes about my last birthday, meaning to expand on them in a Substack post or two.

My birthday was nearly three months ago now. I’m always behind on something. But I’m writing this anyway, since time is made up anyway.

—

Every year on my birthday, I power up the Nintendo Switch and open Animal Crossing.

I walk out of my digital house, shake the digital dust off my digital hair, and open my digital mailbox to find the one digital letter I know is waiting: a note from “Mom,” with a gift attached.

After reading it with tears in my eyes, I spend some time pulling digital weeds and talking with my fellow digital island friends.

If you ask me, I think this is simultaneously absurdly pathetic and stupidly sweet.

This fractal of bittersweetness continues to deliver the birthday wishes my mother can no longer send. It is just code and pixels, but it is also so much more.

So thank you, Nintendo.