I wasn’t expecting to receive a letter a few days before Thanksgiving that began like this: “A recent review of our records shows that as of November 10, 2014, your driver license/ID card is expired.”

My birthday is in August, which means it didn’t just expire, it expired three months before.

The good news is not that the Department of Licensing (DOL) waived late fees because their computer failed to send me a reminder.  The good news is that I wasn’t stopped by police while driving license-free, nor was I involved in a traffic accident.  A friend told me that in case of an accident, while the DOL would forgive me, the police would not.  And I don’t imagine my insurance company would be merciful either.

The really good news is that my weight is fifteen pounds less than what was recorded on the old license and this year’s picture turned out much better. (The previous one, which was taken after I raced to the DOL from the bank, when the teller said, “Happy birthday. Your license expires today,” is the one featured in the photo above. And in case anyone thinks they can see a pattern here, I have been renewing on-line and on-time my whole life.)

My only worry is, who’s going to remind me six years from now when I have to renew it again? My memory may not be trustworthy by then.