Happy Birthday to Me

Don’t get too excited. This post is not about the CLASSIC 1981 movie Happy Birthday to Me starring Little House on the Prairie’s Melissa Sue Anderson. No, this is about how today is my actual birthday. 51.

My favorite present so far is a Snoop Dogg sweatshirt from Zumiez that I had been begging for. It was out of stock and my son Kyle hunted it down for me. I shall wear it every day. Around the house, not to work, although I am certain that they would love it at work ‘cause it’s too cool.

So about birthdays. Some of you may relate to this.

I walk around thinking, and acting, like I am 22. I guess that’s why I wanted that Snoop sweatshirt so bad.

However, it has become more and more apparent that others look at me like I am, well, definitely over 40. Maybe 45 on a good day.

Here’s some observations on being a woman of a certain age:

Keeping my hair long and blonde may trick people about my age, but only when they can’t see my face. I had the brilliant idea to grow it all one length like Cousin It to cover up my entire face, but was told that is not acceptable in the workplace.

When I wear my college alma mater sweatshirt (SUNY Oswego), people now ask, “Oh, does your kid go to Oswego?” Or sometimes, “Do you teach there?” I don’t know which is worse. [A bit of trivia: Happy Birthday To Me drawbridge scene was filmed in Mexico, NY]

When I go into Zumiez (LIKE TO GET A SNOOP DOGG SWEATSHIRT), the clerk asks, “Are you shopping for your kid?” (Kyle, 20: “MOM! YOUR GOING TO ZUMIEZ IS LIKE ME GOING TO TALBOTS!”)

When I go to the hair salon, my optimistic stylist cheerily says, “On the bright side, now that you are completely gray, you can go longer in between root touchups because gray sort of looks blonde.”

That all said. This is so trite, but am compelled to say it because it finally, finally hit home for me recently…

How many people even get to live to age 51?

How many of our friends have we lost already?

I can honestly say, and this has taken me a long time to make peace with – I do not care what I look like. There are only so many ways to try to fix 51. I can probably fix it down to about 48. That’s not a statistically significant difference.

I just want to live! I have been through a lot, as many of us have, and sometimes, I just didn’t think I could take One. More. Day.

But I am here to tell you that everything passes, and 51 rocks, actually, and there is always going to be some g*d-damn sh*t – so just put one foot in front of the other, as my mom used to say (Mom was always right).

And guess what, sorry, but I just took the last Snoop Dogg sweatshirt from Zumiez, so you’re just going to have to steal one from your kid.