On Turning 62

I'm turning 62 on November 28th, the day after Thanksgiving, but I'll be quietly celebrating it a day early provided I don't explode from eating too much turkey and pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and since the '60's, November 28 has fallen on Thanksgiving in the years 1963, 1968, 1974, 1985, 1991, 1997, and 2002 and last year, 2013.

For many years I avoided celebrating my birthday in any meaningful way.  In fact, there were years when I simply ignored my birthday.  But not this year. This is a milestone birthday.

Growing up in a large crowded family, birthday celebrations were attempted but not always realized. There were no big parties with ponies, balloon artists, face painters or bouncy houses. I usually got a cake but there were years when I wasn't even able to blow out the candles on my birthday cake because one of my younger bratty siblings stole  that honor.

"Let Joe/Katie/Tom/Jane/Jerry blow them out" a parent insisted as they gave in to the whining of a younger sister or brother.

 "But it's my birthday"  I pleaded. 

Alas, another birthday disappointment.

 I do remember getting angel food cake when I requested it. And cards.....lots of cards, but not a lot of gifts. As I got older my parents would promise me some kind of a gift, usually written as an afterthought on the inside of the perfunctory birthday card, only to never deliver on the promise.  I'm not proud of this fact but I became cynical of birthdays, mine mostly.  If someone wanted to celebrate my birthday,  I slogged through it and  put on a good face, but certainly never looked forward to and or made a big deal out it.

And I'm not going to make a big deal out turning 62 either.  But cynical? Nope, that's a thing of the past. My attitude toward my birthday changed when I met, fell in love with and married. Georgette.  You see,  the woman who taught me how to love and how to be loved, is a celebrator. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, special occasions, she does them all in style and with grace.

So when my birthday was approaching in the first year of our relationship back in 1996, she asked me how I wanted to celebrate it. I said, "I don't".  While I don't remember her exact words back to me, it was something along the lines of  "Well, I do and I'm not having any wet blankets around here so you better think about what you want."  I caved. "OK, I'll give it a try." I've been celebrating my birthday ever since and I have to admit, I now look forward to it, sort of.

Some birthdays come with milestones or have some significance attached to them. Turning 16 was a big deal when I was a kid because it meant you could get your drivers license. Even though I didn't get mine until I was 17, turning 16 was still a milestone birthday. You were somehow cooler because you were 16. And you could get a job which I did--.the day after I turned 16,  I started at McDonald's So much for being cool.

When I turned 18, I got to register to vote (a good thing) and register for the draft (not a good thing). Showing off my draft card to my friends at school was fun---getting drafted the next year when I turned 19 was not so much fun.

Turning 21 was supposed to be a big deal because you were officially an adult and could legally drink and purchase adult beverages in every state. It ended up not being a big deal because the State of Iowa lowered their legal drinking age to 19 when I was a freshman in college. But who was I kidding, legal age or not, I was already drinking by then and when I drank adult beverages,  I acted like anything but an adult.

After 21, the birthday milestones come every decade it seems. 30, 40, 50, 60. I don't remember 30. Turning 40 is when mid-life crisis's are supposed to happen- I had mine at 38 so that took the wind out of turning 40.

When I turned "the Big 5-0" I spent the next year telling people who asked my age that I was "halfway to 100!". Yeah, I'm sure it was annoying. But at least I was back to celebrating birthdays by then. "I'm halfway to 100" was probably better received than my former " I don't do birthdays" line.

When 60 came 2 years ago, I was experiencing some nerve pain in my right shoulder and arm and was in the middle of trying to sort that out. It has since cleared up and not returned, but 60 came with a small health scare.

That bring us to 62 and what a milestone 62 is.  At 62,  I can............drum roll....... officially start taking my Social Security benefits if I choose!

But I'm won't be doing that. Not yet. I've got a few more months or years left before I retire from my full-time profession, depending on how things go. But I'm in range now. I can see the runway, I'm just not cleared for landing.

Truth be known, I'm grateful to be where I am in this life and to be who I am in the condition I am in, if that makes sense.

Life is good.  No complaints. Lots to celebrate. Lots to look forward to in this 62nd year of life.

With a little bit of luck and more graceful aging, I'll see you at 63.