Today is my birthday. I turned 31.
I do not deal well with birthdays. I’ve been paranoid about getting old since about 15, and I have not gotten much better. My wife is the opposite. She is one of those people can look at it and say they are just a day older than the day before. Ensie is forever reminding me that the only that makes my birthday any different than any other day is the fact that people feel the need to give me stuff and give me cakes.
This is a good thing. I understand that. Still, there will always be a bit of a freak-out that occurs around 2 weeks before December 1st. It usually passes around the third or the fourth. I am fortunate in one respect: My birthday falls in an ungodly busy part of the year. We have Thanksgiving, then my Mom’s birthday on the 27th (Hi Mom!), mine on the 1st, my sister-in-law on the 5th, and on to Christmas. I wonder how neurotic I would be if I were born in July or something. It would not have been pretty.
I started dreading 30 sometime around 21, but it has been a good age for me. I managed to get married, for one thing. It didn’t strike me at first how much different life could be; the missus and I had been living together for years. It’s been amazingly special though, and I still get a slight case of the chills whenever I call my wife “my wife”.
I also managed to get this blog up and running. More importantly, I didn’t quit during any of the times wanted to. While it’s never as interesting as I’d like it to be, and I seem overly obsessed with video games and comic books for a man about to turn 31, I enjoy it.
I hope to be as fortunate at 31.
Posted by Frinklin at December 1, 2004 05:53 PMHappy Birthday Frinklin!
Personally, I tend to forget I even have birthdays unless someone hands me a cake. I've forgotten my age an alarming number of times. I'm lucky, I guess. Maybe the accumulated birthday angst will hit me like a ton of bricks when I'm 40 or 50, but for now, ignorance is bliss.
Oh, and I read the birthday post on your wife's blog. Cherish her. She's a keeper. But I'm sure I don't need to tell you that.
Posted by: Mediocre Fred at December 1, 2004 07:57 PMAs usual in life, I'm a day late and a present short, but happy birthday, Frinklin. Wait until you're over 40, and you'll comprehend the meaning of the phrase "feeling old."
Posted by: SwanShadow at December 2, 2004 03:00 PM