Birthday-

When I was younger a birthday was possibly only trumped by Christmas and the last day of school. The older you get the more people try to act like they doesn’t happen anymore. The younger you are the greater the event becomes – especially if your lucky enough to have a birthday party. I don’t remember having that many, but what a great idea – hanging out with friends and getting presents. One of the parties I remember the most was the time we went roller-skating. Now most of my friends didn’t know that I was taking lessons every Saturday morning. We practice going around in circles over and over. Once in a while we would add a tricks or move, shooting the duck was my favorite. This is basically crouching down and sticking your leg out like a gun – then you could see who could hold it the longest. Now my party was an opportunity to showcase my skills, wow they were going to be jealous. As I've gotten older I told my family I don’t need a party - especially on my major birthday, the ones that end in zero. Up until now they have honored those wishes as we have had just family gatherings with pie and a few presents. I really haven’t had a problem with getting older; for the most part it has been a non-event. Oddly the age I had the hardest time with was when I turned twenty. Not only does it end in a zero but also it is the year you’re not a teenager or an adult. It’s kind of like being in limbo. Maybe it was hard for me because I wasn’t around any of my family or friends. Now you have to remember that when you turn twenty you don’t know what it feels like to turn forty or fifty - so I'm sure it would be easier now. I just turned fifty and my family made it a bigger deal than I wanted them too. My wife told me it was our oldest daughter that insisted they do something. Now that it's over and done with I’m glad they did, it was a lot of fun. They sent out invitations to most of my family and a number of friends. The last thing I needed was black balloons or gifts that make fun of my memory – a couple of people brought some nuts because they think that’s what would like me feel the most at home. But those that knew how to read were told not to bring gifts. The greatest idea was that my wife knows I’m obsessed with these stories – so she asked all that would like too, to bring a short story about me that they remember. They were the greatest presents I could have gotten. Some of them I will write into my own words – others I will keep just the way they are in order to show another point of view. There were about thirty or so people that showed up – which was great because I didn’t think I had any friends at all. I’m sure that some of them came because they didn’t want to offend my wife. But they made me feel good and it was an enjoyable evening. Some of the stories were different than the way I remember them and a couple I didn’t remember at all. Of well it doesn’t matter that much, especially because there was pie. It was a come and go affair so there were people at our house for a couple of hours, and luckily there was pie left over for later. In some ways I wish I could go back and shot the duck – and go counter clock-wise until I get sick. But really in the end I think everything would pretty much be the same, I would hang out with friends and get presents. The next time I have a birthday that ends in a zero I think I’ll take my wife on a trip so she won't have to watch what she says or does in order to keep the surprise.