Recording Another Trip Around The Sun
Truth be told, birthdays have never been that big of a deal for me.
Oh, I’m sure I probably enjoyed them until the time I was 10 or so, but, to me in 2020, a birthday is just another day on the calendar. “You are the age you are,” has always been a favorite saying of mine.
The day itself doesn’t seem different from any other. More likely than not I will be working or at a minimum working in my yard.
Truthfully, birthdays in recent years have been tougher. I am not quite at the big 5-0 but I am getting close, very close. Maybe even too close. I am officially 49 now. At times it doesn’t seem possible. Other times it seems like I am even older than my years.
Yet on May 27, 1971 I arrived in this world, the first son of Paul and Melba Bridges. For its worth I was born in Macon and grew up in the central Georgia town of Monticello.
Recent years have brought the loss of loved ones. That is actually what I think most about, certainly more so than my current age. Knowing the older I get it means family members from previous generations and friends will be lost. It has been 30 years since I graduated high school and we have already lost one member of our small class.
It’s all a part of life I know but still tough to wrap my head around. Or maybe I just don’t want to.
I have tried to look at age 49 as simply another birthday. No bigger a deal than turning 39 or 29 or 19. Without a doubt, one is no longer young at my age. I am middle-aged for sure and getting closer to being described with that adjective termed “old.” Carefree days of youth, while in reality long since departed, are officially in the rear view mirror now.
My birthday was two days after Memorial Day this year and I spent more time being appreciative of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for me and our country.
In so many ways, my mind still thinks I’m a teenager, still in school, still hanging with my friends and still worrying about things that don’t really matter.
When I remind myself that so many of those childhood friends now have teenagers themselves, it makes me wonder how in the world I’ve reached this point. It doesn’t seem possible. Wasn’t it us a couple of years ago roaming the halls at our school, playing sports, hanging out on weekends, enjoying every minute of life?
How has all of that been replaced by jobs, paying bills, an overload of stress and the realization that those carefree times have indeed long since slipped away?
It helps to think about the things I am blessed with as I turn this historic page. Family support when that is not always guaranteed for everyone. Friends I would do anything for and, in return, I feel they would do the same for me. It’s not a large group of friends I have because friendship is not something everyone appreciates.
So what is it about being 49 that gives me a punch in the stomach at times? Realizing that life is more than half over could be it. Or it could be the knowing that you truly look old to those who are young. Or perhaps realizing this year’s senior class was not even close to being born when you finished high school. Ouch.
Then at work when the younger generation says “hello, sir” or “thank you, sir.” I want to turn and look for my father.
Birthday parties, by the time you reach this age, are long gone. For me, it’s usually a quiet night at home with a favorite movie that I’ve seen at least 50 times. It’s about trying to relax, if only for one evening.
The sun will come up the day after this milestone. People turn 49 all the time, every day and without notice. Do I feel I’m wiser at this age? In some respects I do. However, there’s plenty I still don’t know and plenty I will never know, even if I make it another 49 years.
Birthdays aren’t a big deal unless you make them into one. No doubt being close to 50 is light years from being 18. Yet, I’m not so old that I still can’t remember being young. While nothing about me is “young” anymore, the ability to go back to a time when I was, is still working just fine thankfully.
So, here’s to another trip around the sun and enjoying the beauty that comes with every new day. It’s true you appreciate the little things more when you reach this age like a nap and the beauty of the blue, summer sky in Georgia.
Perhaps being 49 won’t be such a big deal. I’ve convinced myself that with the right attitude, it’s no different than turning 21. After all, we only get one of these days each year. They are still special even if less people notice and remember.
Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time columnist who has written for The Monticello News since 1988. He has earned awards for his columns from the National Newspaper Association, the Georgia Press Association and the Georgia Sports Writers Association. He welcomes feedback about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.