Once again, I am anticipating a milestone I wasn’t sure I would see growing up. Another year in the books and a new one looming on the horizon. As always, a birthday is a moment for reflection, to take a break and assess where one is at the particular moment and to consider what the next step will bring. In this instance, I’m away from home again, visiting a new state (Michigan) and hoping I’ll be on the job for the duration so I can get the most benefit from the trip. Jobs have been rather scarce in Georgia, now that I’m considered “overqualified” (a nice way of saying “too old”) by many employers locally, so I pretty much have to take whatever I can find regardless of the travel to get there.
This year, my birthday falls on Saturday, which is the day on which I was born. Another “milestone” birthday, when I turned fifty, also fell on Saturday, so I felt I had come full circle. This year, I have Saturday off, but I’m too far from home to drive back. It’s likely I’ll spend the weekend exploring one of the nearby communities and taking photos. It’s one of the rare times I’m away from Georgia for my birthday, which was a regular occurrence when I lived in New York.
I’m finding, as I get older, I have less enthusiasm for birthdays but this has less to do with aging than with experience. A birthday is the anniversary of one’s birth but otherwise, it’s just another day. If I’m employed and haven’t made prior arrangements, I typically still have to work. I used to arrange vacations so I’d have the week of my birthday off, but now, with work fleeting and far between, I generally have to work when I can.
Since moving to Middle Georgia, it takes quite an effort to go into Atlanta, which is where I spent many birthdays, usually going out to a show or performance. One year, I saw Maurice Hines at the Alliance, and for my fiftieth birthday, I started the day at the High Museum, saw a show in Midtown, spent some time wandering around Piedmont Park and the Botanical Gardens, and finished up at the Shakespeare Tavern. This is likely to be more low key since I’m spending it many miles from home and have things to do Saturday afternoon.
Here’s to whatever the next chapter reveals. 😎🐺