Birthdays

Are funny ole things. It doesn't matter how old we get a birthday never goes away. You'd think its unimportant, irrelevant to today that even if we didn't know our date of birth we do all know our age, and what is age anyway but an arbitrary measure depending for its very existence on whichever calendar the tribe, race, species use.

And yet, and yet, each time a birthday comes around we either celebrate it or try to ignore it. I'm sixty eight years old today and I would very much like to forget today is my birthday. Strictly speaking I am not another year older none of us are, and yet, we cower from the very thought of another year older.

The religious, and there are far too many of them, would say we should celebrate and be thankful, they would insist that the older we get the more we should reflect upon our lives do the simple arithmetic of achievement versus failure and be thankful.

As if!

I would happily write the last ten years of my life off of every calendar, yearbook and history of my life. I went from one correctable mistake to eight years of burning, permanent scars. I would give so much never to have set foot in Ireland for anything other than holidays. And yet I had spent so long dreaming of living here and no one told me its a horrible place to live, part of me is annoyed that the Irish who escape never tell anyone they were delighted to get away and will never return for anything but holidays and maybe funerals.

Today is my birthday. I'm sixty eight years old and like all of us I'm still learning. I will tell you this though and it is a fact.

If you are going to make mistakes make them while you're young for the passing of each birthday means you have less time to correct the mistakes you make and live happily ever after.

Happy birthday to everyone who is sixty eight years old today. I hope your debts are paid, your house is your own and you have a nice strong pension to rely upon. I hope you ignored the law and got as much of your wealth as possible salted away in one of those lovely, warm and welcoming off shore bank accounts.

But in spite of it all I will tell you this I will grab tomorrow and every tomorrow with hands teeth, nails and spirit.

Tomorrow is a word full of hope and possibilities. Never let go of tomorrow