My birthday is on Monday and I feel old and young at the same time.

It’s that time of year again! Not Christmas, just my birthday. I’ve always loved that my birthday was in the summer but since it’s at the end of July, it always reminds me that it’s almost over. It’s kind of always been bittersweet especially back in my school says. That actually always sucked. My birthday would be close and suddenly everything was about “back to school” sales and whatever. Now that doesn’t matter but the day isn’t as fun as it used to be.

I’m still young being in my early twenties but a birthday doesn’t change anything anymore. Remember the days when turning one year older was the biggest thing to happen to you? Like when you turned 10 and you were finally in the double digits. Then when you turned 13 and were officially a teenager. Turning 15 and that’s the year you start learning to drive. Year 16 feels huge in a ton of different ways plus its then legal to drive alone. When your 18th birthday hits it’s huge because now you’re legally an adult. Year 20 is even better because you can finally shed the “teen” at the end of your age. Turning 21 is big for people who want to drink or gamble, but anything after that and it doesn’t matter how old you are anymore. Unless you want to be president, in that case you have a good milestone left. Every milestone from 22+ is negative. People freak when they turn 30 and when you turn 50, everything is about you being “over the hill”. Then everything after that people will just call you old. Aging is such a shitty thing if you really think about it.

Honestly, I’m happy with my age. I’m not old and I’m not really young so it’s kind of a nice balance right now. It kills me though when someone asks, “how does it feel to be –insert new age here-?” Um, the same as it did yesterday? That’s all I can think to answer when someone asks that question. I don’t feel any different on my birthday anymore so am I must be missing something. A friend (who shall remain nameless) asked me the other day, “So, how does it feel having your birthday coming up?” I’ve been expecting these questions so I just turned with a straight face and said, “It tickles with a slight burn afterwards.” She had no idea what the hell I was talking about. She probably thought I was telling her I had urinary tract infection or something. Once she got it she laughed and told me I was crazy which really isn’t telling me anything I don’t already know. But hey, if people are going to ask me weird questions I’m going to give them weird answers. I think that’s my new motto.

Since my actual birthday is on Monday and the world refuses to stop for me, we’re celebrating over the weekend. Everyone wanted to know what I wanted to do as if I had been planning it all year. I had no clue until yesterday. We’re going to Six Flags. That’s right. I’m celebrating my birthday by being hurled through the air at high speeds and twisted all over the place. Who needs cake when you can swallow your stomach while flying through the sky upside down? It’s going to be hot and probably busy but oh well, its part of the whole adventure. The crazy part of amusement parks are the people you witness. After spending a few hours there you walk away really understanding the saying of, “it takes all kinds”. Depending on what happens, you might even hear about it later.

So, I’m turning a year older and I don’t feel any different about it. It should be a good birthday though!

“Why is a birthday cake the only food you can blow and spit on and everybody rushes to get a piece?”

“Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that people who have the most live the longest.”