Another year . . . wiser

At TKD this evening, I figured there was no sense in hiding the fact that my birthday was yesterday. After all, Brian knew, so the jig was up.

(The exact date had been revealed in a "how old are you" conversation we had a long while ago when we were deciding which of us was senior. I'm older than Brian by a little over a month, so I'm senior. He does not let me forget this fact.)

At our school, we celebrate the birthdays of children by singing to them, and then sending them "down the gauntlet," two rows of people who are allowed to swat them as they run by. The children usually bring treats, too.

Jessica had a birthday tonight, too, so she went first. She's 9, which surprised me. She's tall for her age! And a junior black belt, too!

I brought treats (good chocolate) & enjoyed the singing, but informed Master Hughes that I would WALK down the gauntlet and hand out treats.

"Middle aged women don't run the gauntlet," I explained. "I'm starting a new tradition."

A good tradition, to celebrate with the TKD gang. Not everyone likes birthdays, or wants people to know about theirs, but the way I see it, a celebration is always fun, especially in mid-February!

I'm 44 by the way. "Four times my age," says Robbie. I don't usually refer to myself as "a middle-aged woman" except for rhetorical purposes, like convincing people not to swat me!