Monday Musings
Happy Birthday!
Today is my Birthday. I made it through another spin around the sun. It doesn’t matter how many times I have made this trip, I am still the same person I have always been. I hope I am wiser, smarter and wittier.
I grew up with six siblings, I am the exact middle. I am the most middle person I know. Two brothers and a sister older and two brothers and a sister younger. I grew up in the Midwest almost dead center of the continental U.S.
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We didn’t celebrate birthdays in my family, no cards, no birthday cake and no gifts. When I got old enough I started baking the cakes, making homemade cards to celebrate whoever’s birthday it was. It was important to me.
And it still is, everyone deserves one special day out of the year. Now, my younger sister and I have birthday lunches together and buy gifts for each other. My older sister sends cards and sometimes a gift. My brothers? Crickets inserted here.
I do remember one special birthday, I don’t remember how old I was. Dad took my older sister and I to my grandpa’s farm. Just us three went, it was like a mini vacation. We stayed over night. My sister and I cracked walnuts on the sidewalk out back and got to ride in the back of my grandpa’s old red pick-up truck. We got candy too. Halloween in July.
My younger sister did throw me a surprise birthday one year. I was in shock, I didn’t know how to react. I know this will seem odd, but I don’t like being the whole center of attention. So I sat at the head table by myself not sure what to do with all those eyes on me.
They walked on the moon on my birthday and I share my special day with Natalie Wood. I am sure there are more, I never looked it up.
Well, after saying that I had to go look it up. There are many, Natalie Wood was the one I was familiar with, so I will stick with her. To all of you out there that share my birthday, happy birthday. To the rest of you and I am sure there are many, I hope you get a card, cake and well wishes on yours.
