The Birthday Post From Elizabeth Weintraub

Today is my 61st birthday. That means it’s time for the birthday post from Elizabeth Weintraub, something I do every year. This year, I almost didn’t celebrate it. Because let’s face it, what’s one more year? What does turning 61 mean? It’s not a milestone birthday. It means I better be over the fact that I turned 60 last year because it’s all older from here on out. Choices that I may have once had the option to choose among are becoming leaner and fewer. I no longer have all of the time in the world to do whatever my heart contends. The clock is ticking on.

It’s kinda the opposite of uplifting.

In fact, it’s so the opposite of uplifting that I was considering holding off on birthday celebrations until maybe I turn 65 and apply for Medicare. Yup, no more birthday parties or gifts or cards or anything remotely celebratory in connection with my birthday for a while. Not one more birthday post from Elizabeth Weintraub. Then, perhaps I could celebrate in 5-year increments, so it wouldn’t seem like I was getting so old and decrepit. Maybe by the time I turned 90, I would once again be ready to celebrate every year, when I truly have an event to celebrate, something to blog about and make a birthday post from Elizabeth Weintraub mean something.

After I thought this and contemplated it for a while, I concluded that celebrating only milestone birthdays was a pretty stupid and wasted thought process. I should be content with the fact that every morning when I open my eyes that I am still here and have not been abducted by aliens.

Not only that, but the past year has been remarkable. I got to enjoy 3 weeks in the South Pacific over the holidays, finally visited Hilton Head Island, scored front row seats to a musical in Chicago, spent Thanksgiving with both of our families and had the best year in real estate ever over the past four decades, selling $32 million in a depressed market.

Turning 61 is pretty great!