I've always looked forward to birthdays - mine and others.
Obviously the ones as a child were always special.
You know the feeling. The anticipation of that special day when it was all about you.
Dreaming about birthday cake, ice cream, presents, and that special feeling of being the center of attention for one day.
I admit that there was one thing that I didn't like about my birthday. I was one of those summer babies that never got to celebrate her birthday at school. It seems silly but when I was in elementary school, it was a huge deal to bring treats to school for your classmates.
My brother got to do that every year since he was a February baby but me, a late June baby, got shafted every year.
One year, I had a teacher who celebrated the half-birthdays of all the summer babies. Once more, I was left out in the cold. My half-birthday is Christmas Day.
But having a summer birthday meant my parties were outside in the warm summer sun or at the beach.
Landmark birthdays have been good so far. 16, 18 and 21 were nothing special but I couldn't wait to get to them so I could drive, vote, and have a drink.
30 actually wasn't all that bad. I didn't feel old or even like a grown-up. It was just a birthday.
40 was actually pretty good.I was looking better than I had ever had as an adult, had a wonderful husband, and was one year away from finishing my college degree.
As I sit her planning my husband's 42nd birthday, I think ahead to my own 50th birthday and having a few mixed emotions but not many.
Most come from the message society sends you about being 50.
When you're in your 20's, you're young. You have your whole life ahead of you and you're preparing your future.
When you're in your 30's, you're officially an adult. No one refers to you as a young adult. Marriage and children along with stable jobs and getting a first home loom big in your life.
When you hit your 40's, it suddenly hits you that you're "middle-aged." Some of your friends are becoming grandparents while most of your friends have kids in school and are also dealing with aging parents. Reality sets in; life is hard but has some great rewards.
So what does 50 bring? I'm really not sure yet. I know society feels that 50+ is old. Most women have either gone through menopause or are ready to go through it so that life centered on children is winding down and your spouse comes back to center stage.
Right now, I'm re-evaluating my life - what I want to do for a living, where I want to live, what my goals are for the next 10 years.
I"ll end this with a picture of one of my favorite place - the beach.
This is Rehoboth Beach, DE. I took this the day my husband ran his first marathon.
I love the serenity of it.
Goodnight.
Obviously the ones as a child were always special.
You know the feeling. The anticipation of that special day when it was all about you.
Dreaming about birthday cake, ice cream, presents, and that special feeling of being the center of attention for one day.
I admit that there was one thing that I didn't like about my birthday. I was one of those summer babies that never got to celebrate her birthday at school. It seems silly but when I was in elementary school, it was a huge deal to bring treats to school for your classmates.
My brother got to do that every year since he was a February baby but me, a late June baby, got shafted every year.
One year, I had a teacher who celebrated the half-birthdays of all the summer babies. Once more, I was left out in the cold. My half-birthday is Christmas Day.
But having a summer birthday meant my parties were outside in the warm summer sun or at the beach.
Landmark birthdays have been good so far. 16, 18 and 21 were nothing special but I couldn't wait to get to them so I could drive, vote, and have a drink.
30 actually wasn't all that bad. I didn't feel old or even like a grown-up. It was just a birthday.
40 was actually pretty good.I was looking better than I had ever had as an adult, had a wonderful husband, and was one year away from finishing my college degree.
As I sit her planning my husband's 42nd birthday, I think ahead to my own 50th birthday and having a few mixed emotions but not many.
Most come from the message society sends you about being 50.
When you're in your 20's, you're young. You have your whole life ahead of you and you're preparing your future.
When you're in your 30's, you're officially an adult. No one refers to you as a young adult. Marriage and children along with stable jobs and getting a first home loom big in your life.
When you hit your 40's, it suddenly hits you that you're "middle-aged." Some of your friends are becoming grandparents while most of your friends have kids in school and are also dealing with aging parents. Reality sets in; life is hard but has some great rewards.
So what does 50 bring? I'm really not sure yet. I know society feels that 50+ is old. Most women have either gone through menopause or are ready to go through it so that life centered on children is winding down and your spouse comes back to center stage.
Right now, I'm re-evaluating my life - what I want to do for a living, where I want to live, what my goals are for the next 10 years.
This is Rehoboth Beach, DE. I took this the day my husband ran his first marathon.
I love the serenity of it.
Goodnight.
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