Another year older

Forty. Five.

When Alexander the Great was 45, he'd been dead for twelve years.

When Teddy Roosevelt was 45, he was carving a canal through Panama.

When my dad was 45, he had five kids. My friend's dad had nine kids at age 41.  Me? I got married less than two weeks before I turned 40, and we're still hoping for our first child.  I'm a late bloomer, but my wife was worth the wait.

I don't feel 45.  I'm told I don't look 45.  I'd say I don't act 45, but it's hard to say what 45 "acts like" these days.  When Weird Al Yankovic was 45, he was doing "White and Nerdy" with Donny Osmond.

45 seemed a lot older when I was younger.  Now?  Not so much.  A hundred years ago, 45 meant you were - surprisingly - not dead yet.  fifty years ago, you were on the downslope of your life, everything in place and hurtling toward retirement.  These days 45 seems more like the new 29; good for you if you've got it together, but not a huge surprise if you don't.  Some friends my age are now grandparents; others, still partying like lost boys in Neverland.

All things considered, I feel like I have the best of worlds:  older, but not old.  And no plans to change that state of things.

Tired

It's been a long week.  Marie's had class assignments, a photo expo, conflicting photo shoots, and not nearly enough sleep.  I've had work deadlines, unexpected crises to address...and not nearly enough sleep.  Lots of stress.

It's not that it's been a bad week - just a lot of things to get done, and a lot of self-imposed pressure to do it well.  The late nights and early mornings didn't help.

Friday was our wedding anniversary - five years.  It's a milestone that brings several smiles. at dinner, prior to proposing, I nervously asked her, "where do you see yourself in five years--professionally?" (Where's a teleprompter when you need one?) She still teases me about that.  So...five years to the day from our wedding, she was attending a professional photography expo.  And I was doing things at work that - five years earlier - I wouldn't have dreamed I'd be doing.

So...tired.  But happy.  My birthday and hers follow close on the heels of our anniverary, so if we don't manage to do something on the specific day, it's not a big deal.  We never forget; we just Rain Check on the celebration.

So...let the festivities begin.