You say its my birthday?

So today is my birthday. Not a big deal, when you are (very) post 21,  and still well short of the earliest possible retirement date, but its kind of fun too. Family tradition is that the birthday person gets custody of the TV all. Customarily I inflict black and white movies on the kids, its good for them I figure, but with one out at his summer job, and the other taking educational enrichment camp (summer school for smart kids) no one will be home to endure Casablanca, Invasion of the Body Snatchers or Nosferatu with me. I'm going to spend part of the day with my mom (she deserves some of the credit after all)  and the rest of it at family night at the scout camp making sure the boy didn't starve to death since Sunday. (What better activity for a mom on her birthday?)

In recent years the birthday hasn't been a very big deal. For one thing, my daughter's birthday is 2 days after mine, and you what happens when parent and child both have a big event the same week. My husband fixes one of my favorite meals (a great gift in and of itself) and maybe some little presents from the kids, or some friends. I might treat  myself or be treated to a new book. As previously noted any major resources will go to the main event on Friday, and that's as it should be.

This will be my 52nd birthday, and that's OK too. Other than the considerations an older parent of young children must give to certain issues (cant retire before kids are out of high school, cause I cant do graduation on a pension) I really have no hangups about my age. (Some regrets I haven't achieved international fame or world domination perhaps, but what the heck at least I have alot of company there.) When you work in a   police/fire/ems call center as I do and hear some of the tragic stories I do, you know darn well every day you get is a gift, no matter what happens that day. Making it this far is an accomplishment. So no fussing on the number of candles that ought to be on the cake.

2 years ago on my 50th birthday my mother gave me an album she had made of photographs, mostly of my life up to the time of my marriage. There were ones I knew were favorites of hers, others that I had asked for copies of, and a few surprises. Looking through the book was a reminder that for all the ups and downs, Id gotten to do quite a lot and had a good time with pretty much all of it.

And I wish all of you equally satisfied thoughts on your birthdays.