45

45 feels like a milestone, although I couldn’t tell you which milestone it is, aside from a vaguely significant number. At least, 45 seems more significant than 44, or even 46, with the next big number being 50.

I’ve taken a couple days off to celebrate my birthday, and have a mini-staycation after a particularly crazy year. So, as I sit here thinking about what to say about my birthday, I’m almost tempted to be philosophical, or even wax lyrical about this day.

Almost.

Mostly, though, I feel like today is a good day to take stock of where I find myself –

• We’ve almost been in Israel for 6 years (the anniversaries on the Hebrew and Gregorian calendar are in the next week or so);
• Our children are growing up so quickly, and bring us new joys (and dramas – pre- and actual teenagers!);
• I have been married to my beautiful wife for almost 15 years (we will celebrate our anniversary in February);
• I have the opportunity to work remotely with an amazing group of people at Automattic who inspire me every day (join us);
• We have a neurotic dog who fears the outside world, and who we love very much (I think she feels similarly about us, especially when we give her tasty treats);
• Despite the distances the pandemic, and the cost of travel, we are still able to remain in touch with family and friends all over the globe, thanks to some pretty amazing technology (and despite my general tendency to forget to use it more frequently);
• I’m probably in better physical condition than I’ve been in for years thanks to my running (my Diabetes control is a little mixed thanks mostly to my questionable dietary choices at times);
• I rediscovered my passion for Dungeons and Dragons that I get to share with Gina and our daughter (my shared interests with our son tend to be more technological, and that works too); and
• I think I’ve even managed to cultivate a regular meditation habit with an uninterrupted streak of 99 days of daily mindfulness meditation.

So while 2020 has definitely been a year not to repeat, it has given us opportunities to embrace what means most to us, and to make better choices about our relationships, health, and wellbeing.

Most of all, I’m glad I still have the opportunity to write these words, and celebrate my birthday. May I have many more opportunities like this in the decades to come.