My 60th Birthday

It was with significant trepidation that I approached my birthday this year since I would be turning 60. In all my previous birthdays when I marked the beginning of a new decade, I had not had such mixed emotions. But now that it is well past my birthday and I have had a while to be 60, it doesn’t seem so bad.

First, I don’t feel 60. I received one humorous birthday note that highlights this point: “You don’t look a day over 59, well maybe a day.” While I had advanced a year in age on my birthday, I was really only a day older than I was the day before. And since turning 60, it has been the rare occasion that I have even thought about being 60. But when I do, it still hits me a little to see the number in my mind’s eye.

Second, I actually had a really nice birthday. Following in my mother’s tradition, I celebrated it for over a week.

For the first time this year, I took the day off from work. My brother actually does this every year on his birthday and treats himself to a day of fun. I don’t know why I’ve never done this before but I will definitely do it again in the future.

Another exciting aspect of my birthday was that my new car came in and I picked it up on my birthday.

My wife had to work that day so my daughter and grandson who were in town from CA dropped me off at the dealership to pick it up. When I got out of the car, my grandson who is not yet two told me to: “Have a good time granddaddy.” This was so sweet and I did in fact have a good time, picking it up and getting to drive it home.

Then I got to spend the rest of the day with my daughter and grandson.

We played and took a walk together.

That night, my in-town granddaughter came over for dinner with her parents. We talked about eating out but thought it would be easier and probably more enjoyable for everyone (grandparents, parents, and grandkids alike) to grill out steaks at home, my second favorite food (after hamburgers). After dinner, I opened presents and cards and enjoyed a birthday pecan pie.

It was a fun filled day to spend with family marking my sexagenarian milestone.

Then a week later when my oldest son, daughter-in-law and newest granddaughter came in town, we celebrated again. As my mother would do around her birthday, it was another dinner party, this time barbeque followed by a Key Lime pie. For my birthday, my wife had already given me two wonderful service gifts: a lawn cutting service for the summer and a pressure washing of the pool deck and wooden deck (items that had been on my To Do list all spring). For this second birthday celebration, my wife additionally surprised me with the miniature ball chair I had been wanting.

This was an item that I had been admiring for some time on my trips to Amsterdam but just hadn’t been willing to spend the money for.

This one joins a collection that also includes a miniature Barcelona chair.

But third, the greatest gift of all was that I got to spend it with all my three children, their spouses, and all three of my grandchildren. My wife had sweetly worked out the details for my oldest son and daughter to come to Memphis with their families to help me celebrate turning 60.

So I did hit the BIG 6-0 this year but I did it surrounded by all my loving family. What better way to celebrate a birthday!