So yesterday was my 32nd birthday (and the first anniversary of this blog). It turned out to be a terrific day… true… my 3 year old daughter spoiled my birthday gift by telling me what I was getting last Friday… but I’ve had a good string of wonderful birthdays over the past 3 or 4 years and yesterday was no exception… thank you to Laura and the kids.
Yesterday afternoon was spent at my in-laws house… we had a wonderful dinner followed by some delicious chocolate bundt cake for dessert (my favorite). As dinner was winding down I found myself reminiscing on the back patio… enjoying the wonderful weather… and thinking to myself… life can’t get much better… it’s really been a terrific summer… life’s good!
Then moments later my daydreaming was interrupted by the sound of kids laughing and screaming… as I looked across the lawn there were my kids frolicking around with their cousins and having enormous amounts of fun. I smiled as I watched them… then got a bit jealous… here it is my birthday… and as good as life is… my personal happiness in that moment probably paled in comparison to the fun those little kids were having as they were running around the backyard. Quite frankly… I could win the lottery tomorrow and come home to find Jerry Seinfeld hosting a surprise party for me… and I still probably wouldn’t have quite as much fun (or laught quite as hard) as those kids were having playing together.
Late last night before bed… I looked up some old pictures from the late 70’s and early 80’s… when I was about the same age as my kids… the picture above is me with my cousin Daniel… and some funky velvet wallpaper circa 1980. Looking at the pictures reminded me of a theory I’ve had for quite some time….. LIFE PEAKS AT AGE 4… Think about it…. not a care in the world…. no more worries about potty training… you’ve got the language mastered…. and no nasty responsibilities or commitments to live up to… all of that starts at age 5 with Kindergarten! Life is true bliss around age 4…. it’s a shame I can’t trade down about 28 years.