Peter Pan vs. Old Age
June 27th, I will be turning 50 years old. To some this day is dreaded more than any other birthday. Not me. I will enjoy being 50.
First you need to understand that I wasn't supposed to live past 16 years old. Born with a birth defect, the doctors back then really didn't figure I would live a long life. When I reached my twenties, the doctors said it was a fluke. But then the doctors started dying off. By the time I reached my mid-thirties, there was only me. All those years was not without operations, long hospital stays, wheelchairs, learning to use my legs again and nearly dying three times.
I will have to say that because I had a so-called death sentence over my head, I did live my life to the fullest. I was just me. No pretending to be what I wasn't. Like when my mom would say "For goodness sake, would you please try to act like a lady." I would always come back with... "Never claimed to be a lady." I think my late step-father summed it up when he said, "Linda is one tough old broad." Poppa Ernie said I was born 40 years old and had an old soul.
I had decided when I turned twenty, that just because the body was getting old, I would never grow up on the inside. I still had that little child in me. Much to the delight of my nieces and nephews. I always had the best toys. I have a huge collection of McDonald's Happy Meal toys. These were not sitting on shelves somewhere. These were played with, thrown around, broken and chewed on (not by me. The dogs and sometimes the kids).
My brothers say that when I am around the kids I am Auntie Mame and Peter Pan rolled into one.
The other day my 15 year old niece Ellie and I were talking about what I wanted to do for my birthday. I had no idea but I wanted to do something big. But it is the end of the month so money is tight. I decided to just settle for trying to figure out what I wanted for my birthday dinner (we always have what we want for our birthday dinner. Last year Victoria picked candy. Duh! We gave it to her but the deal was she couldn't have any more for 3 weeks)
Then Ellie handed me a rolled poster-sized sheet of paper. Ellie and her friends made me a poster with this on it...
HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY
This means you are...
1/2 Century Old
5 Decades Old
600 Months Old
2,600 Weeks Old
18,262 Days Old
438,288 Hours Old
26,297,280 Minutes Old
1,577,836,800 Seconds Old
1 billion seconds old
Dang!!! You are OLD!!!!
I laughed and hugged her for the gift. When she turned around to go to her room I hit her on the butt with the rolled up poster. "I’m not that old, smartass."
But even Peter Pan must one day get old. I find that I need two arthritis pain relievers to get moving each morning. Victoria last month gave a hand crafted friendship bracelet. She said when I put it on I must make a wish and when the threads of the bracelet finally broke, the wish will come true.
My wish...I want to live until I'm 90 and still be playing with legos.
Linda
Okay, y'all, I expect birthday wishes to be sent Linda's way. Enjoy the tiny update!
Tamara
- Birds of Prey/X-Files
- Parts 11 & 12 of F*ing Lunatics Playing With Our Pickup Sticks AKA That Crazy VooDoo Love by JS ellienoname & MG (JS Odds and Ends).
- Chapter 4b of When Ripples Catch Up With You (A Whole New World Series III) by JS ellienoname & MG (JS Odds and Ends).
BtVS - The Devil on My Shoulder by LilBit (Mystic Muse).
Comics - 6/22/2007 Jane's World by Paige Braddock (Comics.com).
Original - Part 2 of Licit Cusp by Weebod (Academy of Bards).
- Part 12 of Echoes of the Past by J.M. Dragon & Erin O'Reilly (Academy of Bards).
- Part 12 of Echoes of the Past by J.M. Dragon & Erin O'Reilly (Dragonjul's Storybook).
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