Birthdays on the Blogmind

Some people have beat me to a birthday announcement. Others seem to be dreading upcoming birthdays (at least in their comments). So today, it's my turn.

My birthday falls next week. I was born on the same day (January 17) as my paternal grandmother, so we were exactly 55 years apart.*

As the oldest of four daughters, whose births spanned nine years, my birthday is sometimes seen as the harbinger of old age for my parents (especially when I hit “milestone” birthdays). I figure this isn’t as bad as being the youngest of four daughters whose births span nine years, because whereas my milestone birthdays just warn them of upcoming dotage, Cowgirl’s milestone birthdays confirm it (heh).

Our nine-year span also means that only once every ten years are all four of us in the same decade. I’ll be courteous and not tell you how old Cowgirl is going to turn next month, but next week, I’ll be turning 39.

I’m seeing this upcoming 39th year as an auspicious one. Last year was a bit tough, at least in the beginning (tenure year stuff, income shortfalls due to loss of clients to offshore outfits), so 38 felt untethered and rocky. 39, on the other hand, is going to be cool. My grandmother lived to be 85, but 80 is when her mind began to wander and she lost her independence. I’m figuring that I can count on 80 good years myself, so I’m only on the cusp of the halfway point.

I am typically not a New Year resolution person, but I’ve got lots of birthday resolutions this year. This is the year to “put my house in order,” so to speak. Things I’ve put to the side because of excuses, laziness, or busy-ness, will be set front and center. In my mind’s eye, I am an adventuresome sort, and this year, I will start living that again. Not necessarily in big ways (I don’t have the freedom, time, or money to take a year off and travel through Europe and North Africa like I did 20 years ago), but in real ways. Our sabbatical adventure in New Hampshire definitely plays into this. I’ve got 6 months to get ready for it, and then I’ll have 12 months to live it.

Thirty-nine. It’s the sum of five consecutive primes. It’s the sum of the first three powers of three. (And, as Schoolhouse Rock taught us on Saturday mornings, Three is a Magic Number) It’s gonna be a blast!


*Interesting tidbit: My grandmother and I shared a birth date, my grandfather and uncle shared a birth date (April 1), my father is one day off (April 2), and, on the other side of the family, Impera, the Consort’s younger sister, and the Consort’s father all share the same birth date (June 25)—three generations on one day!