Another year older, another year.........wiser?

Well I am now standing on the brink of another Birthday and this has got me thinking!

What have learnt this year? Am I more mature? Growing up towards adulthood? (okay so technically at 33 I should be an adult already - and physically I'm there, or thereabouts)

This year has been a huge roller coaster for me and those of you who have read some of my earlier posts will have some idea what has happened, but so far I cannot find any evidence that I've learnt anything new (apart from the joy of "Blogging" - does that count?)  I'm pretty sure that I already knew that black sambucca was not a drink that you should inhale, that spending time with friends and family was one of the most important things to me, that handstands or break dancing in a kilt was not an attractive sight for anyone involved, and that work is there to give you a chance to recover from the weekend whilst getting you the money to do what you enjoy doing! I know that if I was put in the same position again with a girl I would continue to wear my heart on my sleeve, throw myself in, and undoubtedly get hurt......would I do it again - almost inevitably.

I'm pretty sure that there have been no blinding moments of stunning enlightenment, as for Paul on the road to Damascus, no sudden flash of a 200 watt light bulb going off above my head (I hold my hand up here, and readily admit that at the moment it seems to be a 5watt energy efficiency bulb....you know the one that you turn on and after 45 minutes still waiting for a light source that a glow worm would laugh at!)

Nor can I see that I have matured massively. I still enjoy going out and drinking with friends (usually resulting in drinking games that I first enjoyed when I was 18) and although I am quite happy to go and enjoy a meal in refined surroundings, or enjoy the theatre or even the ballet (obviously again only the really macho ones......is there one based on Rambo?) but I enjoyed doing that when I was 18 as well, I just couldn't afford to do it very often. I suppose that the "occasional food for the soul" that I enjoy now may be a sign of a slowly dawning appreciation of my age, and a creeping maturity, but at the same time I will still be spending my weekend sleeping in a foxhole in the middle of a wood, no doubt in the rain and cold (.....for fun, not even because I have to be there!)

I don't really celebrate my birthday, not even the big ones 18, 21 or 30 (I do seem to remember a lot of alcohol and a Pizza Hut chicken supremey thing being brought back up over a friends wall on my 21st - this is certainly not a comment on Pizza Hut, and other pizza restaurants are available, but rather more the punch where whatever was brought was added into the bucket ). I can't remember the last time I had a proper party/night out to celebrate one (although that may be an indication of my nights out) but I think that life is often too short to only enjoy yourself once a year. Nor am I hung up on getting older. I look forward to it! Life is equally too short to worry about it passing, but rather it should be enjoyed.

I am looking forward to getting those distinguished grey hairs at the temple (I have checked when I go to the barbers but honestly they are only slightly lighter......not grey at all!), and crows' feet and the worry lines to give the impression of a hard working 'real' man - like an Arctic explorer, deep sea fisherman, or bin-man! (rather than someone who spends most of his life staring at paperwork or a computer screen! - maybe I should try and get one of those jobs instead). I love the idea of growing old disgracefully, but then I ask myself what sort of midlife crisis can I have? How can I out-crazy my hobby of re-enacting? Buying a fast sports car and surrounding myself with beautiful young women would seem like a calming down! Maybe "free-running" or "extreme ironing"?

Here's to ageing. You only get to live once, so you might as well enjoy everyday, whether it is your birthday or not.

and here's to growing up - to being finally able to look over the bar top!