Groan!! Another Birthday Whether I like It Or Not!!

Yes, my birthday was this past week and while I still, in the secret places on the inside of me, still look forward to being wished well, I also dread the reality of another year added on to the old bones and that sense that "time marches on" that just keeps getting stronger every year.

But the best parts of this year's birthday observance was two-fold: 1) I was really blown away by all the thoughtful remembrances that were expressed on Facebook by friends, relatives, and past students, some of whom I haven't seen for over 30 years. I was shocked to say the least. Made me remember them again and our times shared, but it also helped me to feel that the time invested in their education and development as persons was not lost. (Teachers often get that feeling.)

2) My two kids that live locally, along with "chipping in" from my two daughters that live in other localities, gave me a very nice birthday dinner out. Along with all the fun and sharing that goes on with kids, kids-in-law, spouse, and grandkids, they presented me with a beautiful 3rd generation Kindle 3G with a cover the color of my birthstone--the peridot. What fun, and even though they teased me lots about staying up all the rest of the night to load books onto the Kindle, I really didn't do that. However, I did spend some quality hours loading some ebooks I already had in my document file that I know I want to keep at the ready--the Kindle is reported to hold 3,500 book--but to also download the latest batch of Net Galley books I had chosen for reviewing. I am still learning my way around the download process and all its mysteries and still trying to find ways of doing it quickly. I guess it's a matter of learning the steps and doing them often enough that they become second nature.

Last, I can't help the nostalgia that inevitably creeps over my spirit when I look back on my life and realize all the places I have visited, the rather substantial number of localities where I lived during my life, and the friends I made there, some of whom I have never seen again. Would you believe, I was even thinking about a couple of old boyfriends, still picturing them as I knew them, and experiencing the shock when I realized how old they would be now, and wondering what they were doing and where they are. Not wanting to "hook up" again, mind you. But they were both really nice guys and were very good friends and we shared lots of good times together. Like lots of my past girlfriends and college friends, they were important at a certain time in my life. I guess birthdays just bring on that kind of remembering. I happens every year.

To all my followers and visitors who celebrate August birthdays, "Happy Birthday" and many, many more!