Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes. Today is my birthday. Don't bother calling or emailing or sending gifts and cards if you have not done so already. It's OK. Really. I just have a couple of things I need to get off my chest. (Not those things! What are you thinking??!!)

I'm completely confused by birthdays. Yes, its nice to have them and to have friends remember you. It's nice to receive gifts from your children after their father reminds and threatens them. But after you pass 21, birthdays somehow become insignificant. There are no landmark birthdays for many, many years after that. So why do we find it so important to keep count? So we can save 10% on a cup of McDonald's coffee? I think not.

Why do people think they need to know "how old you are?" Knowing that number will affect their lives how?

And yet, I don't want to stop having birthdays (i.e. stop living). I have known too many people who have done just that. It is not a good alternative.

I just want to quit counting them. I'm not as old as that awful number sounds. Seriously. I'm not. In fact, I did a body age test at the gym. My body is a full 10 years younger than my so-called chronological age. So when people ask, "how old are you?" are they asking how old is my body according to strength and agility? Or are they asking how long have I been alive? Should I count the nine months pre-birth? Or should I count only those years I remember?

How about asking how old do I feel? That's a good question and I can answer it truthfully without grimacing or stuttering. That would relieve me of the moral dilemma I face when I want so badly to lie.

I really don't care about senior discounts--not that I am old enough for them--but I see that time looming in the distant future. I resent some 12 year-old behind the counter asking if I want the senior discount. Money is not everything. I know people who lie to GET that discount. Give me a break!

Retirement sounds like a horrible idea. I'm just learning how to live! With all this accumulated experience, knowledge and wisdom, I am finally equipped to do something with my life. "In my end is my beginning."

I've never felt better about life, about myself and what I'm doing. So, don't ask me how old I am. Don't try to guess. (If you must guess, guess 'way low or duck when you say it.) Don't ask how old my children are or how long I've been married. Just let me enjoy today. Everyday. Quit counting.

Thank you. I'm glad to get that off my chest.

Seriously, you can send gifts. It's OK!!!