Today is my mother's 77th birthday. I'm pretty sure she would be a little unhappy with me for sharing her age with the universe, but I like to think 77 is quite the achievement. Mother actually gave up on life a long time ago and trudges through each day, which is really no different than the last. I think for her the process of living was just too hard. So her birthday is a day my sister and I "celebrate" and I think she actually mourns.
Tomorrow would have been my dad's birthday. He would have been 93 tomorrow, but he decided to stop when he was 91. I think dad was actually at the point where he lived as much as he had wanted to and after a life-time of adventures, taking care of families, running businesses and all the things life has to offer, he just decided he was done.
The difference between my mother and my father's ways of life are so different that it's hard to believe they were together for as long as they were. For over twenty years, mom has just "gotten by." She doesn't want the change or really any part of learning anything new or experiencing anything different or exciting. She is not the woman I remember from my childhood. My dad actually made it a point to learn something new every day, to try something new every day and to live life the best he knew how. His basic personality / character never changed and I like to think I take after him.
So... today I shall wax a little philosophical and remember both of my parents - "the old people" - on their birthdays.
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