Monday, January 15, 2007

Happy Birthday to Me


Sage, with a farmer's tan, taking a break while fishing and canoeing the Fox River, July 2006.

Sometime today I’ll begin my downhill run. At an hour that escapes me (I forgot to look at the clock in the hospital), the engine that’s my body will have crested a major hill and begin chugging ever closer to the century mark and ever further from my birth. I can’t believe I’m 50! Most days I don’t feel 35. The only marker of my age is in my musical taste. I enjoy classic rock which wasn’t classic when I started listening to it. Oh yeah, then there is the issue of the receding hair line. Where did all the years go? I’m not so sure, but I have had fun and may even reach retirement age with enough of a pension that I won’t have to greet at Walmart. Of course, that might all change if social security goes belly up, but it looks like that’s one program Georgie Boy won’t get to screw up during his reign. It’s hard to think that in just 14 years, my daughter will be through high school and college. Maybe then I can retire. I’m not sure I can ever completely give up working; once I decide to cash in the day job, I might decide to do something fun like tend bar at a ski resort and write in my blog when I’m either pour drinks and listening to sad tales or shooting down black diamonds.

Not much planned for the birthday. Tonight I’m teaching. My employees are taking me out to lunch. Today is my day to swim in the gym; I’m not ready to punch in 5-0 on the machines they have there.

When I turned 25, my parents were living in Japan and I wrote to my mother, telling her how old I felt. Her response was natural as she wrote back telling me just how old I made her feel. I don’t think I’ll do that this year, although she’d probably quickly forget.

22 comments:

  1. A bartender?!? Lush.

    I hope you have a lovely day!

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  2. Just hopped over from Moo's site to say Happy Birthday! When you get to the ski resort, I'll be the one in the cast sipping Baileys and coffee. Have a wonderful Birthday!

    (Thank you m(urf)! for letting us all know.)

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  3. Congratulations! Trust me, 50+ is not hard to handle once you learn to manuever your walker....

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  4. Happy Belated Birthday Sage! I hope you enjoyed your 50th. Remember it is only a number. It is our attitudes and activity levels that actual age us. And you are way ahead of the game on those things!

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  5. Oh I just saw what Murf did to you!!!

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  6. Hey Old Man, happy birthday from a young buck!

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  7. Deana, assuming you saw the original photo, now that Sage is "over the hill", it was time to cover him up. ;-) If you never saw the original, check out his Sept 2006 archives. I have that section bookmarked!

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  8. Happy half-a-century! Just another 50 years and you'll have it made, for as George Burns said, very few people die after 100.

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  9. Happy, happy birthday! I hope your day is spectacular!

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  10. Hey, Sage, happy birthday. Like Tom petty said, you never slow down you never grow old.
    I've got bad news for you on SS. it's a ponzy scheme bound to fail. He nor any one else needs to mess it up, already is.
    But, enjoy your birthday!and keep up the good works.
    Your an inspiration to me. Really, you are.

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  11. Happy b-day! Stay active, Stay happy, stay close to family and friends, and age will have a hard time slowing you down

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  12. In some way, I can sort of relate to how your Mom felt. Realizing my baby sister turned 26 this year really hit me.

    Happy birthday, Sage.

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  13. We just put up the 2007 calendar (we wait until the steep discounts)... My wife marked all the birthdays, including one in August:

    Dad's Birthday - Old Man turns forty.

    That made me feel really good...


    Which leads me to a little anecdote. There's a bar here in Buffalo that hosts a Bob Dylan Impersonators contest. My brother noticed an advert a while back for it.

    "Hey, did you see that Bob Dylan Impersonators ad?"
    "Yeah." I replied.
    "It's the fifteenth annual," he adds.
    "So?"
    "We played the second annual."
    "F***. Time flies."


    Happy birthday, you ol' bastage.

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  14. I'm sorry for being a little late, but Happy B-Day!

    That's a great photo of the river, must've been a great time. And you can definitely pass for 35, if not younger.

    Anyway, I hope you have a marvelous B-day!

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  15. Thanks for all your kind comments and well wishes. Mal, can I borrow your walker manual? Murf, the pic you posted was priceless!

    I just realized that the date for my post is January 15. My birthday is today, the 16th. I wrote the post last night, saved it, but posted it this morning, but it must not of changed the day. Oh well. Tomorrow's post will probably have today's day on it. Take care and I still don't feel 50!

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  16. HAPPY fiftieth, SAGE!! You don't look a day over 49....LOL...just kidding.
    That really was a farmer tan you had! Next to me, you're just a babe in arms. I've got 16 years on you and I can tell you there's a lot of living to do between 50 and 66. Plus you're in good health and you hike and work out, so you will be plugging along for years!

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  17. Looks like you are acting it though, Sage. ;-) Sorry..birthday is over. You get regular Murf again. I realized that I never commented about the picture that accompanies this entry: You sure don't make canoeing look like fun.

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  18. sorry for coming here late. Hope your birthday party lasts as long as you wish it to be. Forever?

    I wish you all happiness and much love for always.

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  19. Wishing you a belated happy birthday and great year to come!

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