{"id":4198,"date":"2024-08-06T11:12:27","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T16:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theagingofaquarius.com\/dw_blog\/?p=4198"},"modified":"2024-08-06T11:29:59","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T16:29:59","slug":"happy-birthday-to-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theagingofaquarius.com\/dw_blog\/happy-birthday-to-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy birthday to me!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s my birthday. I\u2019m 73!<\/p>\n

\"July<\/a>
Me, pensive: Giants Causeway, Bushmills, Northern Ireland, 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I know, I know – as an old man I\u2019m supposed to harp philosophically and say things like \u201cage is only a number\u201d and \u201cyou\u2019re as young as you feel\u201d. Those cliches are true but they feel too modest.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s my birthday! That makes me happy, I feel special today and am old enough to admit it.<\/p>\n

Please indulge me just for a moment while I talk about the things old people always talk about, though we\u2019d rather not. There is a point to all of this.<\/p>\n

A year ago, just before my 72nd birthday, I had a health scare that ended with the great news that there was nothing wrong with my heart or brain. How many people get that kind of reassurance into their eighth decade?<\/p>\n

That led me to retire from my radio career, a heads-up that it was time to get off the rat wheel and make every day Saturday. CarolAnn and I don\u2019t have the money to go gallivanting around the world as future retirees dream. I still want to take a great vacation when we can but I love my wife, our dogs, and our home. A lot of people have none of that.<\/p>\n

In the past month I\u2019ve been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes and nearly simultaneously had all of my teeth extracted to make room for dentures. I was born without teeth and that\u2019s how I\u2019ll go out. Wish it could be otherwise but you know what the older old folks used to say, \u201cYou can wish in one hand and spit in the other\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t remember how that ended. It never made any sense to begin with.<\/p>\n

Diabetes is manageable and the dentures will be useful when my gums no longer hurt and I learn to eat without feeling like I\u2019m chewing with a mouthful of Legos.<\/p>\n

An aside: If you\u2019re looking for a dead solid perfect weight loss diet try combining sugar and carb restrictions for diabetics with the severe limitations of eating without teeth. In six weeks I\u2019ve lost 35 pounds!<\/p>\n

So, yeah, I\u2019m thrilled to be 73. My dad died five months before he got there. That weighed on my mind for most of the past year, it really did, for two reasons: At first I was merely hoping that I wouldn\u2019t keel over as early as he did. Then it finally dawned on me that Dad would be over the moon in love with the fact that I outlived him. For some reason that makes me proud.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Dad and me c. 1953, Land Park, Sacramento<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I still talk to my dad. Not out loud but whenever I have a question I know he could answer, I ask him. I can hear his wise and loving answer as plainly as if he was here in the room.<\/p>\n

I hope to live another 20 or 30 years. I’ll probably be lucky to manage another 10. But if I should pass and anyone asks, you tell them I died a happy man. No matter when or how it happens it will be true.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve crossed the finish line. Now I\u2019m just taking victory laps.<\/p>\n

Dave – August 6, 2024<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s my birthday. I\u2019m 73! I know, I know – as an old man I\u2019m supposed to harp philosophically and say things like \u201cage is only a number\u201d and \u201cyou\u2019re as young as you feel\u201d. Those cliches are true but they feel too modest. It\u2019s my birthday! That makes me happy, I feel special today … Continue reading “Happy birthday to me!”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,91,435],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aging","category-boomers","category-fathers"],"yoast_head":"\nHappy birthday to me! : The Aging of Aquarius<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Happy 73rd birthday to me! I won't pretend it's nothing special. A lot of people never get this far. 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