Today is my 43rd birthday. I never thought I would live to be this old. Seems a crazy statement, yet it is the first thing that crosses my mind when I think about my age. I recall that a much younger me thought that if I lived to be 40 I would have ‘made it’. That much younger me could not see beyond 40. I had older grandparents, aunts, uncles, and the like, yet they seemed to be so very old that I could not understand what it was like to be them. Now, on this day, I do have some measure of what it is like to be close to their ages.
It is my desire to chronicle the events of this day as the unfold. Thus, I will make updates to this post as time and opportunity warrants.
UPDATE: 6:50 a.m. – just over an hour from now my father is taking me to breakfast. My father is a good man. He and I are very much alike in some ways and very different in others. The moments I get to spend with him are most precious to me. It is a grand thing when you are in the company of someone who understands you and whom you understand completely.
UPDATE: 10:25 a.m. – a good breakfast and a great conversation. My dad and I discussed philosophy, politics, religion, science, art, humor…it was such fun. He dropped me off at my house and gave me my birthday gift (more on that later). Time to change into some work duds and spruce up the outside and inside of my humble abode.
UPDATE: 4:56 p.m. – the house and yard are presentable (finally). I am now waiting for all my kin and friends to arrive.
UPDATE: 9:32 p.m. – all of the guests have gone and yet the laughter, the conversation, and the love echo throughout the house. I had a GREAT birthday party! All of my immediate family was there and a few friends stopped by as well. Our pot luck dinner was a feast fit for royalty. Instead of having a traditional birthday cake with ice cream on the side, I decided to have cupcakes and ice cream cones. I think the adults may have enjoyed the cupcakes and cones more than the kids. The gifts I received were heart-felt, funny, and useful. It was a birthday celebration I shall not soon forget.
