Whoopee, I'm 43

So that's it. In just under two hours I will officially be 43 years old. I feel, as I do every year, absolutely no different.

Thanks to the weather (and my complete lack of preplanning any celebration), it's been a rather dull day. As this day goes, however, it has been markedly better than years past. I got to spend the day with both my sons, since school was cancelled. They even cleaned the house (sort of)!

No fan fare, no fuss. Of course this is how I prefer things. I can be loud, and I'm outgoing, but the center of attention is a position I find much discomfort in occupying. Most people see their birthdays as exciting, but for me it's really just another day. Sure it marks the day I came into this world, which in and of itself is amazing - I mean life is extraordinary that way. I guess I just choose to celebrate who I am, in my own ways, whenever I choose; not just on the day I was born.

It is no secret, to those who know me well, that I have long been at odds with the tradition of birthdays when it comes to my own. I've been fortunate to have people thrust celebratory events upon me over the course of the last 10+ decades; otherwise the day would quietly pass by without much notice from me. I don't want for material things, and this time of year really does put a damper on going out to mark the occasion. I imagine, had I been born in warmer weathered months, I might opt to venture out, find some way to combine celebrating and enjoying nature. Alas, I'm a December child.

I'm warm, inside my home with my two sons, finally done with work for the day. Not half bad, not half bad at all. Ah, a glass of wine...yes, that's the cherry on top of today.