Forty-One

Today is my birthday, and I am 41 - BO -- RING. It has gotten me to thinking about birthdays in general. Your first birthday really isn't for you - it is for your family. The best part is that it is probably the first time you ever get to try cake. Then, there are a bunch of birthdays that are boring - like 9 - and then comes 10 - double digits. That's exciting. Then 13 - a teenager. Yikes! Then, nothing big happens until 16 - Sweet Sixteen. But, wait, with the new laws you probably don't get to drive by yourself until you turn 17. Then, you turn 18 - you are an ADULT. But, you really only get to vote and buy lottery tickets. More boring ones - then you hit 21. That's always a biggie. Then, nothing, until 30, although I do remember 25 being a bad birthday. It seems to be the age where you think your life is going to be all set, and it never is, so you are depressed. Then, we stop celebrating except for the decade birthdays - 30, 40, 50. . . . It's like we will get more birthdays if we only celebrate them every 10 years. And, then, if you are lucky enough (like my dear Grandpa Van Eaton) to hit 100, everyone shows up, and it really isn't for you - it is really for the family, and the best part is that you probably are getting to eat cake again which they haven't allowed you to do for a long time because of some medical condition. So, as with everything else, birthdays are really all about the Circle of Life.


41 is boring. But, at least it isn't 46. If I were turning 46, I'd be on the bad side of 50. Not quite ready for that yet.