How to Beat the Birthday Blues
I’m not a big fan of birthdays, as you may know by now. This last weekend is a prime example. My wife calls me Peter Pan, as I don’t want to grow old and sometimes the birthdays can just sour me a bit.
Such was the case this past week. But I beat those Birthday Blues this time. One might say by getting in touch with my “feminine side“, based on my antidotes for the Birthday Blues, along with some great and kind advice from the blog-o-sphere. You’ll see what I mean. But, if you ever have trouble with your birthdays, here is my recipe for kicking those Birthday Blues in the bum
1) Listen to “Don’t Fear the Reaper”. The popular 70’s rock song, made famous by Christopher Walken’s “I got the fever for more cowbells” on Saturday Night Live. My brother sent me a birthday card and when you opened it up this song played. I had to laugh. I was feeling sorry for myself and he just kinda made fun of me. It was just what I needed. I didn’t fear the reaper anymore!
This was one of my all-time favorite songs from my youth. It is a very cool, harmony-laden, well written song that romanticizes death (Romeo & Juliet are together in eternity) leaving you to believe it is ‘trendy’ to walk with the Reaper and that there is “nothing to Fear”; i.e. “40,000 men and women do it everyday; 40,000 people redefine happiness / We can be like they are”. … Hey, at 50 I still want to be hip!
2) Got the Blues? Buy a new pair of shoes! Right? Every woman knows this. In my case I took some birthday money and went out and bought some new high end, eye-catching, feel-better… Asics running shoes. I am hoping the curiosity of ‘are these things going to help’ will get me running more. And more better better! The last time I bought some racing Saucony’s it worked miracles for my performance.
Let’s go for a run!
3) Go get some great looking, feel-good cosmetic surgery! I get this tip from my wife watching the Housewives of Beverly Hills. When those girls are feeling down they go get some plastic surgery to make them feel good again. OK, I have no use for implants; or Botox. So, to make me smile and feel good about myself again I went…….. to get my teeth cleaned. 🙂 And I feel so much better! (wink, wink) They don’t look 20 years younger but at least the stains are not scaring little kids anymore. Tomorrow, I may get my hair done cut and maybe my nails. Nah, not the nails.
The ladies at Flowertown Dentistry will make you smile!
4) Go to the gym. Simply go prove you are not as old as the calendar says. This Saturday I hit some new highs with the weights including 3 sets of 70lb bent over dumbbell rows (these will be important later), 190lbs on the Hammersmith Bench Press machine, and 480 calories burned on the treadmill on a good 35 minute run. These aren’t my all-time personal bests but I haven’t touched any of these 3 levels in a good year or so, telling me my body is not withering away like my sorry butt wanted to believe. In fact, its still getting stronger each week. I just need to go to them gym to remind me of that. Exercise will make / keep the body younger. JDI!
I felt 20 years younger! (almost)
5) Enjoy your surroundings. Do a put off Home Improvement project. If I want to be around awhile I might as well make my home a little nicer to grow old in. So I went out and worked on my weekend patio project where I am making a stone patio and walkway out back, replacing the torn down deck we first had. Folks this will look nice when I am done making a bigger patio and a bigger backyard for our girls. I was so energized to get this done I moved 4 tons of stone and cement! In 3 hours! I placed 3 tons of individual flagstaff stones in place on my patio and then bought, moved, and stored 12 80lb bags of cement. Now that might not sound like a mental rejuvenation but just the fact that I did all that tells me I can still hang. Four tons, one rock, or cement brick at a time! Those dumbbell rows came in handy! In fact, I wasn’t even sore the next day.
Tons of fun!
So that’s my recipe for beating the Birthday Blues. I stumbled on them all by accident this past weekend but each one had a positive impact on my attitude. Sorry for being such a stinker last week. Being Peter Pan, I never really have enjoyed birthdays for the last 10 years. “Life begins at 50” someone said last week and so I have nothing to fear. So, come on take my hand, we’ll be able to fly, we can become like they are, come on baby, don’t fear the reaper…..I got the fever…. for more cowbells!
OUR LIFE IN 3D 
lol Thanks Karen! I don’t know if that’s you being nice or one of your clever play on words…or both. But thank you, I’ll take it…as I am also old as rocks too. 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEREK! I hope you have a great one! The stone moving was no party.
Oh, and that’s how I got a nice 3 foot tall Glenlivet mirror too. It yours if you want it…
Andy, you rock! 😉
Well, I have a birthday this week. I am not planning on moving tons of stone to celebrate, though.
My ass was kicked but not in the way you might think. An interesting story behind that caricature. I was a bar manager at a Bennigan’s Restaurant at the time. A liquor salesman came in and tried to get me to put one of his brands in the bar. Oddly, he took my picture and asked me what my hobbies were. I was a bit of a gym rat at the time. A few weeks later he came back and this picture was attached to a calendar for me. He made me into a calendar! So I thought that was pretty cool. If you see the tattoo on my arm it is the Crown Royal logo, which was one of his brands. The ’93’ represents the year it was drawn (sob, sob) I must be old as dirt! I think I am having relapse. 🙂 As always, thanks for dropping by Janice! We’re going to move some more rocks this weekend if you are in the neighborhood…
It is coming along nice but slow. I am ready for it to be done so I can focus on some other home projects. But, yes, you are invited for the BBQ and if I can’t get grass to grow in front of it this year there will be a pool there this time next year. Then we’ll really have some fun. Thanks for looking in Charity! ~Those shoes were for you!
Wow, look at you, Mr. Andy! That sounds like a kick-ass birthday 🙂
That caricature of you is awesome! Who drew it?
wow the deck is coming along nice! cant wait for a BBQ at your house. I struggled with my bday this year too, and it wasnt even a “mile stone” bday.