Today is my friend Karen’s birthday and, while I won’t tell you how many years young she is, I will tell you we’ve been friends for – wow! – going on 27 years now. (Uh oh, the math is not workin’ here. Looks like I’m gonna have to start fibbing about how long I’ve known some of my friends.) Anyway, she is one of those people for whom I’m very grateful. She’s intelligent, funny, beautiful and has always been there for her family and her friends whether they need a laugh, a shoulder or some helpful advice. I have, personally, benefited from all three, not to mention a cold can of Diet Coke when the situation warranted it.
As the years pass by and that infernal birthday fairy smacks me in the head with her evil aging wand, I take comfort in the knowledge that I have people in my life who remain constant. That is such a joy to me as I value every friend who has touched my life. Even if I don’t talk to them anymore because they’ve moved away or they’ve moved on in a different direction with their lives, I fondly recall those friendships. And I hope those friends look back and think well of me, too.
My last birthday was one of those milestones that was celebrated in a big way. We had a wedding four days before it, which qualified as a major party, but some of my old Ohio State friends didn’t let a little thing like me sitting there in a wedding gown distract them from handing me a chocolate martini before singing me their unique version of “Happy Birthday” and remembering me with a thoughtful gift. They have, after all, been around for a LOT of those birthdays!
Yeah, turning 50 four days after my wedding allows me to say I was married in my 40s. Hey, c’mon – it’s technically true! Whaddya want from a woman who picks an arbitrary age every September and sticks with it. One year I might be 41 and the next year I might be 37. Depends on my mood and how well the ol’ Clinique moisturizer has been workin’ for me.
One person who is also a constant is Vince. He doesn’t care how old I am – he loves me and thinks I’m beautiful. What’s even more wonderful is that he tells me so. He is a true gift from God; one I hadn’t expected to receive in this lifetime. Perhaps I wasn’t makin’ it easy – who can find a woman who turns 41 one year and 37 the next? Whatever the reason, we’re together now and life is good. And I’m extremely grateful.
Hmmm. I started out thinkin’ I was going to tell you about my funny birthday-slash-honeymoon experience in Provincetown, but took a detour somewhere and ended up here.
No matter. Tomorrow is another day and another blog.
In the meantime, have a wonderful birthday, Karen, but don't forget to duck. I think I saw that birthday fairy lurking about with a glint in her eye and an evil wand in her hand.
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