Today is my birthday. I'm not exactly proud to say I'm 40 years old today, but I'm not all that embarrassed to say it either.Forty's kind of a funny age. When I was a kid, 40-year-olds were grandmas and grandpas, or just about. 40-year-olds were oldsters, dining and retiring to bed early. They weren't, well, me.
Truth is, I don't feel all that different than yesterday, when I was still young, hip and in my 30s. (OK, I was never really all that hip, but I was still in my 30s. Nowadays, I'm more worried about breaking a hip than being hip.)
What has changed is the way I celebrated my birthday. When I was a little kid, I always had swim parties, with lots of friends and a pinata. When I turned 16, my friends threw me a surprise party, which I loved. When I turned 18, I celebrated because I could finally vote, and I did exactly that in November, for Michael Dukakis (turns out my vote didn't help).
When I was 21, I started the celebration early, at midnight, at a bar, with some friends and a shot of liquor somebody lit on fire. (What better way to prove I was finally a responsible adult than to drink my 21-year-old self into oblivion?) The last big milestone, 30, was also accompanied by shots, but at a much nicer bar, where my good friends had rented out the patio. The theme was over the hill, which didn't seem so funny at the time.
But this year, the celebration was much tamer. It started Thursday night, when my friend Cindy brought a huge beach scene birthday cake to book club. I couldn't stop smiling!
Then yesterday, I had a family barbecue, hosted by my cousin Kathleen and her boyfriend Tim. Tim cooked up some tasty tacos, and Kathleen made all the side dishes. (My aunt brought a yummy cake cooked by Mrs. Albertson's, who sometimes provides our Thanksgiving feast.) There were children running everywhere, and their parents (my brothers and sisters-in-law) sitting close by. My parents were there, too, and as I surveyed the yard, I felt so proud, and happy. It was perfect.
I even got a lovely striped goblet with a polka-dotted 40 on it, wearing a little party hat. I loved that. I loved it even more when I discovered my goblet held a full beer! I immediately proclaimed that I'll be drinking out it for the next week straight, and that it's coming with me to Alaska, where I'll be celebrating my birthday with friends. (I tell everyone I picked Alaska for its beauty, but really, I've heard the average age of tourists there is like 65 -- which will make me a young, hot mama!)
And today, the actual day, was pretty good, too. I got a lot of birthday wishes, by email and by phone, including a happy birthday song that degenerated into howling dogs. (Good job, Hannah and Nick! :-)
Maybe that happiness I felt all day Sunday was the real gift this year -- the contentment of turning 40, without all the showy trappings (or hangovers) of other milestone birthdays. I got the best gifts of all yesterday -- laughter, memories, and being surrounded by family. And I got a pretty spiffy goblet, too.
(And yes, so far, I've kept my promise -- I lugged my goblet to dinner with me to dinner tonight.)
2 comments:
And what did Mark do for your birthday?
I told him he was still the best present I ever got, and he said, "Oh good, does that mean I don't have to get you any other presents?" Little bugger!!
He bought me a Black Eyed Peas CD he--I mean "I"--really wanted. :-)
Post a Comment