The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

Amazingly – for her and for me – she will be 79.

SEVENTY NINE.

How the hell did that happen?

The thing with any age ending in a ‘9’ is that no one really celebrates it.

What I mean is that despite it being your special 9th, 19th, 29th, 39th, 49th, 59, 69th, 79th etc birthday, everyone focuses on the following year, the one that ‘clicks’ over to a new decade, the one that is supposed to signify something, even though in most cases, it does nothing of the sort.

That’s a bit rubbish if you ask me … even though I’m not just doing the same, I’m planning what to do for her on her 80th.

We’re all getting a bit ahead of ourselves aren’t we.

Today is my Mum’s birthday. She is 79. And she is bloody awesome.

I’ve written so much about her on this blog over the years.

Her kindness, generosity, inspiration, cleverness, strength of character, unconditional love and overall spirit … she is one of the genuinely good people on this earth and I am amazingly lucky to have her as my Mum.

I love how she maintains her sense of adventure and openness.

I love how she speaks up for what she believes in.

I love how she is accepting of all.

I love how she has the desire to keep on learning.

I love how she doesn’t blame and doesn’t complain.

I love how she wants to be part of this society, not live her life by ‘how it used to be’.

It’s kind of amazing that despite being her son, I have so few of these fantastic traits in my own character – at least in terms of how she embraces and lives with them.

When I’m her age, I’ll be the grumpiest, grumpy bastard alive.

I’ll be muttering under my breath. Complaining about everything. Watching daytime TV and saying how it used to be so much better when Jerry Springer fronted Jerry Springer.

I’m going to be a nightmare.

But not my Mum.

She gently goes on with her life, not wanting to burden anyone with anything … fighting for her independence and her ability to contribute to this society and her life.

And she does.

In more ways that she could ever know.

Whereas so many people dance through life with hardly a care in the World and yet act as if everything is conspiring against them, my Mum has had it tough.

I don’t mean because I’m her son – though that can’t have helped – but because of a whole heap of situations and scenarios … situations and scenarios that started almost from the day she was born.

And yet despite this she is full of love and support … kindness and consideration … it’s amazing and inspiring.

I wish she would let me take more care of her.

I wish she would stop trying to do everything on her own.

I wish she started thinking of herself rather than others.

But she doesn’t … and at 79 I have to accept it’s unlikely she will change, so my job is to let her know I love her and try and be a good son, husband and person as a demonstration of what she and Dad taught me.

I don’t know if I am pulling that off, but if I’m not, it’s not because of her because her approach to life all but guarantees you’ll be a wonderful person.

Anyway, even though I did this for her last year, I want to leave her with something that sums up how I feel about her, because at the end of the day, I can’t put into words just how much I love her, adore her and am grateful for her.

Happy birthday my wonderful dear Mum. I love you.

Rx