Well this day not going good so far,

**pretzel** · 02-23-2010 05:58 AM

today's my birthday, I turn 51.

Within the span of a couple of hours I've already managed to go through depressed because of the life I've feel I've let slip by.

Irritibility at my wife because I mistook something she said which was meant to be a joke and I took it the wrong way.

Today's going to be a great day.

**OhThereYouAre** · 02-23-2010 06:07 AM

Happy birthday, sir.

It's only 9am EST.

It isn't too late to make the day positive.

If I may....

Stop and think about just how good you've got it in relation to the rest of the world.....

You've got a place to stay that is warm, you have food....and you've got someone who loves you enough to stick around when you're acting like a grumpy old man.

**pretzel** · 02-23-2010 06:11 AM

Originally Posted by OhThereYouAre

Happy birthday, sir.

It's only 9am EST.

It isn't too late to make the day positive.

If I may....

Stop and think about just how good you've got it in relation to the rest of the world.....

You've got a place to stay that is warm, you have food....and you've got someone who loves you enough to stick around when you're acting like a grumpy old man.

thanks. I'll take the first half.

the second half is the reason I've had such a rotten start.

**WildChild** · 02-23-2010 06:49 AM

Well Happy Birthday!!!
Started off rocky so figure it's only got to get better.
It's a good time to do some reassessing.
Things aren't the way you want them.
What do you want for the coming year?

As a dear lady here pointed out to me quite recently, sometime we want things that we just can't have right now and we stress ourselves out and then we fail to enjoy what we do have.

You aren't where you want to be. There are reasons why you are unwilling or unable to walk away or make changes - what can you do while you are where you are, to move yourself toward what you do want? You can't change the people around you, all you can do is change how you respond or interact. But you can still expand your horizons, how about taking a class? Maybe something you've thought would be interesting but didn't have time to pursue? Or go out on a limb and sign up to learn something really different for you - take a class in massage or tantra or even photgraphing auras - maybe something you think is kind of "out there". Just to shake your good self up and get the dust off?

Find something fun, raise a few eyebrows. So what if the old biddies (male and female) look at you funny? You're over 50, old enough to stretch a few boundries without being stupid about it.

**pretzel** · 02-23-2010 06:55 AM

Originally Posted by WildChild

Well Happy Birthday!!!
Started off rocky so figure it's only got to get better.
It's a good time to do some reassessing.
Things aren't the way you want them.
What do you want for the coming year?

As a dear lady here pointed out to me quite recently, sometime we want things that we just can't have right now and we stress ourselves out and then we fail to enjoy what we do have.

You aren't where you want to be. There are reasons why you are unwilling or unable to walk away or make changes - what can you do while you are where you are, to move yourself toward what you do want? You can't change the people around you, all you can do is change how you respond or interact. But you can still expand your horizons, how about taking a class? Maybe something you've thought would be interesting but didn't have time to pursue? Or go out on a limb and sign up to learn something really different for you - take a class in massage or tantra or even photgraphing auras - maybe something you think is kind of "out there". Just to shake your good self up and get the dust off?

Find something fun, raise a few eyebrows. So what if the old biddies (male and female) look at you funny? You're over 50, old enough to stretch a few boundries without being stupid about it.

I know. Won't happen though. Would be nice to do things with my wife for a change, but fantasy and reality are what I have.

Day could have gotten alot worse. One of my best friends from high school's birthday is the same as mine. He just sent a birthday email. I'm real lucky my boss wasn't in my office at the time. Very much NSFW.

Anyway, for some reason this birthday is bothering more than before. I just have to deal with it and get the day over.

**Explorer44** · 02-23-2010 07:53 PM

Oh Pretz, here's hoping your day did get brighter!

**CHANDLERS WISH** · 02-23-2010 08:55 PM

pretzel...

Words of wisdom.

We are at an age where we can look at it two ways.

!. Sugar we're getting old and before you know it, it's all gone, past us.
2. We are just beginning, and all the adventures and beauty and sex, and fun and love is all out there, all that we've missed.

The only difference between the two is attitude and decisions and then action.

Change is a huge thing, fear steps in, what if nothing happens and I end up alone?

What, if, something happens and you end up over the moon in love?

What if....

The only way to dream your dream is to make it happen.

And, you can. Children DO understand.. YOU would be laughing and happy and free and feeling wicked and dating, and probably being a tad naughty who knows, but this will show in your actions, your expressions and Children see this and wow, they have a friend and Dad, instead of a Dad...

**Texinator** · 02-24-2010 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by pretzel

today's my birthday, I turn 51.

Within the span of a couple of hours I've already managed to go through depressed because of the life I've feel I've let slip by.

Hindsight is always 20/20. Now you have the experience and wisdom to know that maybe you could have done some things differently in the past, but the trick is not to let you build up regrets and instead to use that knowledge to do things differently in the future. Besides, I'm sure you did the best you could in the past.

It's also easy to say that if you could go back in time and know what you know now, then you would do certain things differently back then. But don't forget that the experiences you had in the past made you the person that you are today.

**pretzel** · 02-24-2010 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by Tex

Hindsight is always 20/20. Now you have the experience and wisdom to know that maybe you could have done some things differently in the past, but the trick is not to let you build up regrets and instead to use that knowledge to do things differently in the future. Besides, I'm sure you did the best you could in the past.

It's also easy to say that if you could go back in time and know what you know now, then you would do certain things differently back then. But don't forget that the experiences you had in the past made you the person that you are today.

Tex, thanks.

Right now, too many "what ifs" are sitting in my head right now.

There have been times here that I've opined not to let the past repeat itself. Unfortunately, the other adage "do as I say, not as I do" is more prevalent.

Don't know right now. I'm not so angry as I am frustrated with myself.

**Texinator** · 02-24-2010 10:22 AM

I've had my share of frustrations. Situations where I later had an epiphany while thinking about them and ended up kicking myself and asking things like 'Why did I do that?!' or 'Why didn't I notice this?!' But it's always easy to see things more clearly after the fact, especially years down the road when you've accumulated more experience and wisdom. That's just life. It's important to remember however that we all do our best in a given situation and that our best is all we can do.