# Worn In: Birthday Asks for 38 and 39 Kory W. Mathewson · 2026-06-05 · https://korymathewson.com/baggage-of-38-and-39/ · Two birthday asks. Show me something you broke and mended, and a word you carry. Each year, for my birthday, I ask the people in my life for something made, not bought as a contribution to my durational collective creativity project. Last year, my 38th, slipped by without an ask. So this year, I have two. ## The 38th ask: a mend Inspired by *kintsugi*, the Japanese craft of mending broken pottery with gold. **Show me something you broke or wore through, repaired, and love more for the damage.** The cracked mug glued back together. The jacket with the patch. Send a photo and a line: how it broke, how you fixed it. I'll gather them into a small gallery of second lives. ## The 39th ask: a word you carry **Tell me a word or short phrase you've carried for years and can't put down.** It can be in any language. Maybe it is a family saying. A line from a book or a grandparent. An untranslatable word that doesn't have a parallel in English. Send the words, and where they came from, and I'll compile into a shared phrasebook. ## How to send Reply by email with both. A photo of your mend, a word you carry. Late arrivals are, this year especially, entirely in keeping with the spirit. Some things grow *more* valuable as they break. That which we choose to carry says a lot about who we are. A mend and a word. A sentence is plenty for each. Thank you in advance, I can't wait to see what you've broken and mended, and what you carry. ## Previous Years Curious about previous years? * [25 stories](https://korymathewson.com/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-a-good-story/) * 26 anonymous love letters * 27 birthday photographs * 28 hand written notes * 29 essays about finding the fun in others * 30 songs for 30 years * 31 unpublished family recipes (you actually make) * 32 Paths: trails, hikes, directions to travel * [33 how-to tutorial videos](https://korymathewson.com/33-diy/) * [34 pins on a map](https://korymathewson.com/34-pins/) * [35 audio recordings](https://korymathewson.com/35-recordings/) * [36 pieces of advice](https://korymathewson.com/36-advice/) * [37 questions](https://korymathewson.com/37-deep-questions/)