Yesterday when I was young

Today was my big day – really big number day.  I turned 65.  In the back of my mind, I heard Roy Clark singing, ?? Yesterday when I was young, the taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue.??  64 sounds so much younger.

I wanted to do something really memorable, but nothing came to mind.  I’m too young to skydive (I am old enough to know better) and too old to do a somersault.  Last somersault (two years ago to be exact) left the room spinning long after my body had come to an abrupt stop.  So instead I got up in the morning and climbed into the bathtub.  Couponman walked in with the phone and handed it to me. “I know exactly what I was doing sixty-five years ago,” said the familiar voice.  “I remember it like it was yesterday.”  In case some of you have problems with math, sixty-five years ago is NOT yesterday.  “You were the first grandchild and we all wanted to hold you,” Aunt Piggy went on. “When we’d go shopping, we’d all fight over you.”  I felt special.  “And I wanted to tell you how much we loved Brandon’s visit a couple of weeks ago. He’s such a polite and handsome young man.  What’s wrong with these dumb girls (meaning  the ones who had not snatched him up)?” I smiled.  I heard my mom’s voice saying the same things.  Every birthday she’d called at the crack of dawn, starting with, “I know what I was doing thirty-two  or fifty years (whatever the year) ago.” She’d felt the same way about Hot Wheelz, too.  She could never tell him no with that winning smile.

The phone rang again while I was still in the tub.  “Happy birthday, Mom,” said Hot Wheelz.  “What are you going to do today?”  I hated telling him I hadn’t thought of anything wonderfully memorable to do. But we immediately got on the topic of his welding program at SLCC (pronounced SLICK) college.  “I love it,” he said.  He talked about the teacher that used his weld during the “first week” of instruction as a demo for the class to show a good weld was done, and going to a Welders of America Association meeting this past week.  I’m assuming the members were not spring chickens, since one of them had been a member more years than Hot Wheelz has accumulated. Today was quickly getting better, because every mother knows there’s no greater gift than to hear success from one of her children.

My brother Kelly came over to visit for a bit.  Then I did something I never do.  I logged onto Facebook.  There’s now something called My Timeline.  I honestly have no idea what that is or means, but there were some nice messages there to help me celebrate.

The GAP and her little gaps came over in the afternoon.  The Worm had drawn a card with her, the Bug, and me.  “Hey, where am?” said the youngest Mouse, as the Worm pointed to each person on the card.

“I couldn’t fit him on the card,” said the Worm.

“Squeeze him in right here,” I said, pointing to the edge of the paper.  The Mouse held up his arms for me to pick him up.

While she was superimposing the Mouse on the card, my sister Holly called to wish me a happy birthday.

“Grandma,” said the Bug, “read your emails.  I sent you one.”  How could he have an email account already?  It was signed “Sincerely, Logan” and included his last name.  But it did have a “P.S. I love you.”

The last one to sign in was Coco.  She called and wished me a happy birthday.  Four for four.  Usually I have a straggler.  Plus all the other well wishes.

Here I thought I was going to have a boring day and it ended up being one of my best!!

Related posts:

1. Family glue
2. Les Mess
3. Leave them alone
4. Bumps on the road
5. Fearful bravery