Contemplating the Birthday Navel

A startling revelation this morning - 51 looks and feels exactly like 50 at 2 AM when you wake from sleep needing to use the bathroom.

The day was uneventful. It wasn't supposed to be, but the gentleman I was supposed to daytrip it with ended up in a hospital upstate on Thursday for likely the duration of the weekend. He's fine and swore he'd make it up to me. Hey, Keith, that's two you owe me (and I'm glad you're okay).

So, I ended up with a quiet day of self-made wildly curried pork, a simple salad, an indulgent slice of chocolate cake, and more than a few moments of self-examination. Surprisingly, I didn't have this thoughtfulness last year at this time when The Big 5-0 rolled around, although I did some reflection a few weeks beforehand.

Now, who's to say when the downhill slide really begins. If I don't live to make 52, then the halfway point was when I was 25. Scary notion. However, if I live to be 105 like my grandfather did, then I've just about reached the summit and there's a whole half a hill left. Either way, there's still road to wander and off-road to explore and I best make the best of the time I have left, whatever its length.

Every year, folks make new year's resolutions. Long ago, I logically reasoned that if I make a resolution only to break it several days/weeks/months down the calendar, then what's the point? However, I've decided to make two birthday resolutions this year, in defiance of that logic for some reason.

1. I resolve to become less of a couch potato. This is not a hard thing to do, it's just a hard thing to start and keep going at. Yeah, you laugh, but you know I'm right. I know that there's still flexiblity and stamina under that morning joint stiffness and that slightly winded feeling with more than normal activity, and unless I do something now, I may find myself just watching the world go by later. I still respond fairly quickly to the positive influence of exercise, as I found out earlier this year when my car's starter died, so I may as well take advantage of it.
2. I resolve to pursue my writing more. I've found myself letting go of many activities because of lack of time, lack of funds, or just waning interest with the passage of years. One of them was writing and that one I feel I can't let go of unless I'm really ready to throw in the towel on things. It's the one activity that calls from within me to be pursued and pursued more. Besides, like exercising, it tends to be an activity that leads to other activities.

I think these two goals are both attainable and sustainable. Little steps to improving the path just a little. Perhaps this is the start of a new tradition for me, of birthday rather than new year's resolutions. After all, isn't the birthday more of a new year than January 1?

Birthday cake, anyone? There's plenty left.