Here I am. Sitting on the cusp of turning 45. I feel like I should be freaking out or bemoaning my mortality. However I have always liked the number 45. It's weighty without being overwhelming. Any notation of time that involves 45 seems to hold promise. 12:45 is not yet 1:00.
There is a promise in those last 15 minutes before hitting a round hour.
Maybe in the darkness of the early morning, an extra 15 minutes to snooze.
Perhaps 15 minutes to use to get a few last bites of that delectable burrito.
Or 15 more minutes to sit in the sun and read before needing to return to a desk or an office, a classroom or a cash register.
45 feels good to say. Lots of hidden alliteration. Nearly a tongue twister, but not quite.
0+1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9=45. Did you know? I did. All those years of counting out Montessori beads to create math jobs cemented this fact in my brain. I can't remember my own phone number, but I can remember this.
45 degree angles are satisfying. I'm not sure why. Something about the way they turn the corners of squares into right triangles. They also put me in mind of grilled cheese sandwiches, cut crosswise into triangles. I'm not sure about this one either.
The 45th wedding anniversary is the Sapphire anniversary. I like sapphires very much, and even though Bob and I have not yet made it to anniversary number 45, I give you permission to give me sapphires if you wish.
Of course, to reach the age of 45, one must consider the starting point, namely 1966. Now, politically 1966 was not the most peaceful of years. I could easily pontificate about the upheaval of the mid to late sixties. However this is my birthday blog and I promised myself I would not pontificate.
So let's look at some frivolity. Let's look at music in 1966. I discovered that the top 5 songs of that year were all very groovy and happenin':
1. Strangers in the Night (Frank Sinatra)
2. These Boots Are Made for Walkin' (Nancy Sinatra)
3. Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles)
4. Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys)
5. Paperback Writer (The Beatles)
In fact, when I perused a listing of songs that came out in the year 1966, I found a mighty collection of very groovy and happenin' music. Which is very gratifying. I wouldn't want to be born in a year with bad music.
Of course, I was a kid of the 70's, and TV was a big thing. And I am pleased to report that 1966 saw the beginnings of a bunch of mindless TV goodness. "Batman" premiered in 1966. BAM! KA-POW! "The Monkees" TV series also began. Yeah, that's right. People got to see them monkeyin' around. "Family Affair" was one of my favorites when I was tiny. I even had a Mrs. Beasley doll. (for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, humor me and please pretend that you do.)
But the show that trumps these..yes, you know it's true..."Star Trek: The Original Series". It is a bit alarming to think that I was fated to be a hidden trekkie, but there it is. I'm sure it's written down somewhere: those born in 1966 must grow up to like Star Trek. It's the law.
Oh, but it gets better. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" first aired in 1966. This makes me nearly as happy as discovering that "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" ALSO debuted in 1966. (How strange. The soundtrack to "Snoopy: The Musical" is drifting through my brain.)
Okay, so I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy and very gratified to be turning 45. Let's take a look at who shares 1966 with me. No, wait, I just discovered a list of no fewer than 3,651 actors and actresses all born in 1966. Geez, this could get exhausting. And as I go through the list, I'm finding tons whose work I enjoy. I could be here writing about them all night! Pfft. I'm going to abandon this birthday tangent.
All kidding aside however, I'm pretty satisfied to be turning 45. I've never been 45 before, so this is unexplored territory. What new quirky aches and pains will visit me this year? Will the bursitis in my right knee worsen? Will I be able to resist cutting my hair (and thus continue my goal of being a wacky, long haired cat lady in my twilight years)? Will I be able to avoid falling down the many Japanese subway staircases?
Who knows?
What I do know is that I'm pretty darn lucky. In fact, when I consider all the disillusioning, depressing and demoralizing things going on in the world right now, I can safely say I'm very lucky indeed.
And while it is easy to feel like a slowly developing antique when I consider all the things I grew up with that are now virtually unknown to my kids, much less my kindergarten students, I find I can take great pleasure in watching their eyes roll back into their skulls as I tell them about rotary telephones or playing Pong.
So turning 45 isn't a dreaded punishment.
It's a gift.
Until next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment