Yup. Oscar and I share the same birthday.
Last night my son James and his girlfriend Tara had me over for a very nice dinner and an ice cream birthday cake and a few games of Wii. They gave me a guitar stand for my birthday. Interestingly, it was not their first choice.
It seems my son had been bidding on a certain highly coveted auction item which he intended to give me as a birthday gift. But in the 11th hour he got distracted by TV and forgot to return to the computer in time for the hot & heavy last-minute bidding action, which is how I ended up with this lovely guitar stand instead.
This is me, Wii bowling.
And this is Tara and me, Wii boxing. (She knocked me out in the third round.)
A couple months ago it occurred to me that I’m about to turn 49 and 49 is almost 50, therefore I’m almost 50, and wow. That’s a big number. Fifty’s, you know, kind of OLD. So I’ve been freaking out in a low-level sort of way for months, about 50 looming on the horizon and the inexorable momentum of time and how it’s easy to think you’ll grow old gracefully when you’re young, but it’s a whole different matter when you’re almost freakin’ fifty. And, you know, I got a new wrinkle last week and maybe I should start dying my hair or at least get highlights and I should probably start doing crossword puzzles and brain twisters because I’ve lost a lot of IQ points and attention span and vocabulary in the last year or so and it’s probably just going to keep on getting worse after 50 unless I take Immediate Steps and Drastic Action.
The good news is that I got myself so worked up over fifty, I actually felt relieved this morning when I woke up and realized I’m only 49 and 50’s still a whole year away. Woohoo. I’m still young!
I also cheered myself up by reminding myself that age, like most things, is relative: my friend Roy still thinks I’m young and he will still think I’m young when I’m 50 because he’ll be 87. I think I will spend this year cultivating a whole bunch of really old friends.
So now that we’re firmly entrenched in the internet age, have you noticed that you get more birthday gifts and greetings from people you don’t know than from people you do know? I got eight emails this morning from companies wanting to wish me a happy birthday and give me a present – everything from a Tarot card reading to 10% off anything I want. Yahoo Health sent me something called How to Slow Down Your Body’s Aging. I’ll share it with you, in case you’re aging too.
1. Change your perception of time. Don’t be in a hurry.
2. Get restful sleep.
3. Eat fresh, nutritious food.
4. Take at least two multivitamins with minerals every day.
5. Practice a mind body technique such as yoga or tai chi.
6. Exercise regularly.
7. Don’t put toxins in your life, including toxic food, toxic
emotions, toxic relationships, and avoid toxic environments or toxic relationships.
8. Have a flexible attitude to minor hassles.
9. Look at so-called problems as opportunities.
10. Nurture loving relationships.
11. Always have an attitude of curiosity, learning, and wonder and spend time with children.
I’m pretty good at most of this stuff, but I refuse to look at problems as opportunities and I have a bit of a toxic relationship with yoga. I don’t intend to change these things either, because at my age you tend to get a little stuck in your ways.
Enjoy National Grouch Day! I can’t think of anyone I’d rather share my birthday with than Oscar!
Happy Birthday!
I hope that you do something nice for yourself today.
.J
Happy Birthday, Zoom. Thanks for the Yahoo Health tips. Avoid all that toxicity seems like a lot of work. Anyway, best wishes to you!
Happy birthday too! I will turn the big five-o in February but I don’t seem to mind at all. I must say, you seem younger than 49 to me, but then, I’ve never really met you.
Of course, I also seem younger than 49 to me too.
Happy Birthday, Zoom!
I think you should continue to look at problems the way you have been: material for your blog.
Happy Birthday!
Hey, I notice that’s a Seagull guitar you have — it looks like a cedar parlour-size. How do you like it? I ask because I’ve been researching different makes with the idea of a new guitar purchase some time not too far from now. I like that Seagull is a Canadian company, but I’ve been more impressed by some other makes of a comparable level.
Happy birthday!
I was thrilled to turn 30, and have always appreciated getting older. I wonder, though, if 50 is one of those things that is easier to appreciate as a concept than as a next birthday.
No matter, though. You’re wicked, no matter what numbers attach themselves to you.
Happy Birthday to yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Thank you to all of you!
Megan, I loved 30. In fact, ever since I was about 15, I’ve said if I could pick an age and stay at it forever, it would be 30. 50’s the first year I’ve struggled with. But I’ve decided to get all the angst over with early, so I can really throw myself into 50 when I get there. I think it’s going to be a good year for me after all.
David, you’re absolutely right, I DO look at problems as blog material.
And other Dave, you’re absolutely right too – that’s a Seagull parlor guitar. I love it. I’m no expert on guitars and it’s the first one I’ve bought new (I did have two garage-sale classicals before this one), but I will say I’m pretty sure any guitar I buy in the future will be a parlor size. The body fits my body, the neck fits my hand. Beyond that – I’m happy with it. More experienced players have mostly said nice things about it. It sounded great when the woman who owns Metro Music on Bank Street played it. (She collects parlors.)
I’m a little late… But happy birthday! I also have a toxic relationship with yoga, and I will probably never change. Here’s to being stuck in your ways at any age!
Belated happy birthday Zoom. Fifty is not much different than 49 and I’m finding 53 is not much different than 50. I pray every day that this is a trend!
I have got to get going with #4 and do something about calcium for this lactose intolerant body. I’m under five feet and can’t risk much shrinkage; at least not vertical shrinkage. Yoga definitely helps with the vertical shrinkage so don’t absolutely rule it out. You look to be about a foot and a half shorter than Tara in the boxing photo . . . angle right?
Enjoy this year and many, many more. Grace
Happy BD. They’re only numbers. Hope they bode a jackpot of a year.
Thank you Andrea, Grace and Pearl. Grace, Tara’s about half a foot taller than me and the rest of it is angle.
According to my doctor’s nurse, I’m “just a whisper under 5’2.”
I like yoga when I do it, but I have a bad habit of buying the 5-session or 10-session bundles from Rama Lotus and then not using ANY of them before they expire. I’m better about weekly scheduled classes at community centres.
Hi Sue,
Happy Birthday … late … I was in a mediaeval village without internet access till now.
I will be home tomorrow afternoon … please leave the key where you found it.
Love, Mom
Happy BDay kiddo
and by the way was that ten pin or five?
Love you from the core of my heart.Wanna Be your Valentine 4ever