It’s My Birthday
Posted by GruntDoc on May 14th, 2008
I’m 45 today.
I find that to be an incredible number, as I really don’t think I’m any different than I was at 30. Oh, some of the cosmetics have changed (Grey is the new Brown, heh), but mentally I have the same outlook I did when I was a touch younger.
This doesn’t mean I haven’t grown or matured, but I have always had a mental picture of what aging is, and it doesn’t seem to be happening to me. I find that odd. I’m one of those people that really never wanted to be young when I was; I wanted to be a grown-up, an adult. I detested being a kid: this doesn’t mean I acted grown up, but didn’t enjoy my station in life.
I do enjoy my now. I love my family, my life seems on track (note the seems: nothing ever goes quite to plan in my existence), and I see myself here for the next two dozen years. That thought makes me happy. Stability was something I took for granted growing up, all the more odd because I lived in an oilfield town where my classmates changed yearly, which you’d think would make me appreciate my good fortune. Enjoying my current circumstances has never been one of my strengths, mores the pity. Enter med school, the service, a residency, an EM job prior to this, and stability is something to pursue.
Life is good, I feel younger than the calendar suggests, and thanks for coming. Have some cake today, for me. Candles optional.
If I live through today (nice family celebration scheduled, the odds are on my side), I intend to tell the story of how I nearly killed myself, accidentally, and how that convinced me I was not taken for some Reason.
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May 14th, 2008 at 6:34 am
Happy Birthday, Grunt Doc,and may your day be great!
For you’re a terrific nephew that really rates!
May your day be pleasant and your memories, too,
Because today we’re thinking about the wonderful things you do!
May 14th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Happy Birthday to you! Hope it’s blessed.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:06 am
Best wishes on your birthday, Doc — as you said, if you feel pretty good, then it really doesn’t matter what the calendar says.
Many happy returns!
May 14th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Happy Birthday, Doc – I’ll miss the cake today if you have it at work, but hope you have a superb “birthday” day!
May 14th, 2008 at 7:48 am
There is a great scene in the TV show JAG where Earnest Borginine’s character is looking at Catherine Bell in a swim suit. The character, Harmon Rab, ask what he is doing and is told “the eyes never grow old.”
He was right. We all see ourselves, and the world around us, through the eyes of a 21 year old. May your eyes never grow old, and may you never loose your enthusiasm for life.
Steve Lucas
May 14th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Happy birthday! May stability accompany you for the rest of your days… and if not external stability, then at least internal stability. :)
May 14th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Looking forward to hearing about how you almost killed yourself. (Something only a doc would be psyched to hear about, eh? Right up there with how people rid themselves of Norwegian scabies. I think that topic’s totally cool… the staff around me, not so much). Happy Birthday, bro!
Sistah Val
May 14th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Happy birthday GD. Friends tell me this is when those little aches and pains that are supposed to go away in a day linger. Enjoy.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Happy Birthday GD. Here’s to your 46th year :-)
May 14th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Happy birthday, doc!
May 14th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Congrats on surviving your continued exposure to power tools!
Getting old is vastly preferable to the alternative.
I figured this post would include a photo from Way Back When. You’re not getting shy on us now, are you?
May 14th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Happy Birthday to you….
May 14th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Happy Birthday! May you have a grand time celebrating and thanks for offering interesting posts.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Have a great birthday and many more.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Happy Birthday Gruntdoc! I also am 45, and I can assure that it is the age at which all things become clear, wisdom is attained and kids leave home. Yeah!
May 14th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Happy Birthday Doc, welcome to the second half of your life. Older than you so respect your elders, I only need to work 9 minutes a day now.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Happy belated birthday – I hope you had a great day! Looking forward to hearing about your “save” (I have the same feeling that some of us are here for a reason and have one or more ‘near misses’ to describe).
A
May 15th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_Nz9B1XFio
Can’t wait for the story…
May 15th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Hope you have a great celebration.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
i’ll have whatever you’re having doc. happy birthday.
May 18th, 2008 at 9:31 am
I’ll think about you later this year as I approach the big 6-0.
Happy Birthday.
PS I don’t feel any different than I did at 30 either.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Happy birthday! Even if you have grey hair, you’re not really old until you’re 80.
May 21st, 2008 at 2:06 am
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