BIRTHDAY GREETINGS, BOTTLE OF (AGED) WINE

Why do we celebrate birthdays? We are aging and with that process comes pain. Most of it is a visceral pain that dates back to many, if not all of the decisions we made when we were at an age that we didn’t mind shouting from the rooftops. Some of it is more of a “just below the surface” pain that’s located in places like knees and other joints that were the victims of many, if not all of the decisions we made when we were at an age when we did stupid things like climbing up on rooftops to shout. July is my celebration month. I have a lot to celebrate in July. My sister in law starts us off with a birthday on the 6th. Then, as we move along through the month, we find my nephew’s birthday on the 21st, mine is the 22nd, one of my daughters has a natal day on the 26th, my brother-in-law turns another year older on the 27th and my granddaughter has her party on the 29th. I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few people and can expect fewer gifts this year because of it. Not that I need any reminder of my own impending demise. This year I will officially be four years older than a Beatles song. A song I interpreted over the years as something my grandfather might relate to, but he’s been gone for a long time. Somehow, I have become the grandfather and I’m not quite sure at what point I turned that corner. Let’s see how well the song applies four years after the fact. Look at the very first line….. “When I get older losing my hair. Many years from now.”…… Well, I AM older and I AM losing my hair, and “many years from” has become now. I suppose I should have seen it coming a while back, when I started being able to comb my pillow in the morning. How about the line ……“If I’d been out ‘til quarter to three, would you lock the door”……Well, honestly, these days quarter to three is out of the question. Unless, of course, it’s quarter to three in the afternoon, so I can take advantage of the “Early Bird Special.” That way I can still catch a nap before I go to bed at 8:30. “Doing the garden, digging the weeds, who could ask for more?” Why would anyone ask for more. All that yard work is enough to make me want to take a nap. See a pattern forming here? “Send me a postcard, drop me a line, stating point of view.” OK, here ya’ go - “Having a wonderful nap. Wish you were here.” “Yours sincerely, Wasting Away.” I think one of my biggest concerns now is, when I have my grandchildren on my knee, do I have to call them Vera, Chuck and Dave? This aging thing can get confusing. So let’s all celebrate. Especially the month of July when so many of the people I love have reason to don a paper hat, let out a whoop and a holler of pure delight and blow out the candles. As for me, I am weathering this process, as I am dragged through it, kicking and screaming, as best I can, celebrating the comforting fact that my wife will still need me and will, indeed, still feed me....that'll be great...now that I’m sixty eight!