Birthday Salutations

I just had another birthday which caused me to wonder, why exactly do we celebrate birthdays?  Is it because we are amazed we have made it through another year?  Is it because it is the one day of the year that we are allowed to be a total attention hound?  We can parade around with a silly grin on our faces throw ourselves a big party and declare I AM IMPORTANT?  Or is it just another excuse to get rotten stinking drunk, eat cake and throw up?  What ever the reason it really fascinates me how different people celebrate the day.  Are you the get drunk type?  Are you the eat a whole cake all by yourself type?  Or are you the understated lay low and tell no-one type?  Oh come on think about it. 

I have to tell you I have gone through different stages of birthday celebrations.  When I was little I always shared my birthday with Matilda.  Her birthday is a couple of weeks before mine and so I always stood in her shadow and celebrated with her.  I think she was sixteen before she was allowed her own birthday.  Okay, you have to bear with me here because I’m using the term “birthday” loosely here.  It is just too hard to say “found under the rock day”.  When I was thirteen my found under the rock day was on Friday the 13^th.  Now being superstitious and fearful I awoke that morning in pure panic.  I was afraid that the boogeyman, which later became known as Jason or Freddie or Leatherface or Al Gore, okay maybe not Leatherface, would come and spirit me away to the lower bowels of hell and I would be stuck there for eternity. 

Instead I had a wonderful thirteenth birthday complete with surprise cake and a brand new bicycle. 

I thought I would share with you how I spent my birthday this year.  First let me tell you this was one of those landmark Birthdays.  This was one of the BIG ones and by BIG I mean the number is BIG.  No, I’m not going to tell you what the number is but I will tell you when they lit the candles the fire department showed up and Johnny Cash descended from heaven and began singing “Ring of Fire”.   

I am enclosing a copy of an email I sent to my family and friends.

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for all the wonderful birthday wishes.  I’m sorry I was out of pocket yesterday.  I had 3 on-line classes that I had to get in before they were no longer available.  Ah yes sweet procrastination.  Anyway the other problem I had and still have is I have no voice with which to speak on the telephone.  I know it was my birthday gift to the world.    Gladys quiet it’s like the Christmas miracle.  Maybe it is because I talked so much the first 50 years it’s a sign from GAWD to be quiet the next 50.  NAAW  that will NEVER happen.

I did want to let you know I had a wonderful birthday.  Kahuna took me to the Early Bird Special at Denny’s and we had the Senior Citizen grilled chicken with extra Flax Seed breading, stewed prunes and a big glass of Geritol.  Then he took me to the Senior Citizen Center for a rousing game of Checkers and Rocking Chair races.  I would have won but I fell asleep before the end of the first heat.  Then he took me to Rite Aide and had them fit me with a walker and some Depends.  We had such a late night I was completely wore out and went home and went to bed, at 8 p.m. 

Love you all

Gladys

So how do you celebrate your birthday?