Birthdays

Today I turn 54 years old. Even at this advanced age, older than three of my grandparents when I was born, I still like birthdays. I like the attention, which makes me feel like a kid.

I've had good and bad birthdays over the years. I worked for many years for a company that gave you your birthday off, which was a nice touch but also removed the obligation of the staff to throw you any kind of celebration (which of course they could still do). Another company had once-a-month birthday cake for that month's births, with your name on the cake.

Other companies didn't give a shit. I remember when I was at Supermarket News and we had a late closing. It was probably close to ten o'clock, and I had been there since nine, absolutely miserable. I turned to the art director and confessed it was my birthday, and he gave me a nice smile, but that was it.

I've had a few surprise birthday parties, but nothing elaborate. I'd kind of like to have one. I haven't had many parties at all, come to think of it. My parents threw each kid a party twice--once when we were about five, and another in our teen years. I still remember my fifth birthday party. One of the games was trying to drop a clothespin into a milk bottle. In this day and age, that seems incredibly quaint. My other party was my dad taking me and a few of my friends to a Tiger game.

The biggest surprise I've ever had on my birthday was my friend Bob led me on a wild goose chase around Manhattan. We had stops to make and thought about what we would do that night, and he said he had to go to a store at a certain address near Times Square. I was starting to get frustrated with him as I followed him around the Theater District, but then, as were entering a theater, it dawned on me. We had already gone into the building so I didn't even know what we were seeing. It was Pygmalion, starring Peter O'Toole.

As for the getting older thing, I don't brood about it. The zero years are tough, and when I stop to think that my life is well over half over is a little sobering. When you're older than the President (but not by much) it's a shot to the heart. The next person put on the Supreme Court could still be there by the time my funeral rolls around.

But I don't freak about it. I feel pretty young. I'm terribly out of shape, but I was never in particularly good shape. I can't hear that well, but I've still got my hair and it's not going gray. I'm out of touch with today's pop culture, but that happens to almost everyone. I just try to enjoy the little things and live every day one at a time. Often that is easier said than done.

So far this year no major celebrations. But yesterday, I was observing other teachers and was in the orchestra class. One little boy, who I don't even know, got wind that it was my birthday. Not much more than four feet tall, if that, he played "Happy Birthday to You" on his violin. That's all I need this year.