I turn 32 years old today, which is a thing. I plan to celebrate as I’ve always celebrated my birthdays: working. Having had an evening shift at the university for nearly 10 years now, there was never an opportunity for me to go out and have a party with friends. Guess where I’ll be later on this afternoon and night? At work. I’m not the type of person who calls in sick on his birthday or take the day off, and don’t get me started on the “birth month’ phenomenon. I’m happy others can have such a fantastical sense of occasion in regards to their birthdays; for me, it’s just another day, honestly.
Even when I turned the big 30 two years ago: there were no parties or celebration (again, I was working), though there were plenty of internal anxiety. After turning 30, the norm is that you sort of forget about your age as the years pass along, right up until the next milestone: 40. It’s true in my case: birthdays after 30 is so insignificant that I only remembered mine was today when my friends wished me a happy birthday after midnight. Honestly, I’m more looking forward towards the week and a half of time-off we get between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.
32 years of age means I’ve only got two more years to play, because I pseudo promised myself when I turned 24 that I will live life frivolously for the next decade more before settling down and do the proper adult stuff. Two more years left to continue traveling to world cities, and spending ridiculous amounts of money to keep a Porsche 911 around. After that, it’ll be time to trade it all in for the next big transition on the life journey. It may sound like I’m being facetious here, but as of this moment in time, I think the plan set way back in 2011 is still on schedule.
I’m not yet ready to transition, but I feel that it’ll have to happen soon enough. The thing to do now is start the glide-path down towards that big change, and make the preparations necessary. Whatever those are, I’m not sure, though the obvious move is to refill the savings coffers after having written a six-figure check for a car this year.
So it’s business as usual as I add another ring to my tree stump. I’m massively grateful to be alive for another year, and for everything that has happened to me - good or bad - thus far. It’s an absolute privilege.
As timeless as it gets.