The big 2-8.

Well, another year older and another week or 2 wiser.

Birthdays have lost a whole lot of their meaning for me over the past couple of years. I suppose that's an issue that comes with age, but I guess I never thought its importance would disappear entirely. Well, it has.

Hill got me some great gifts, and I got some cards and gift cards from people at work. It was nice to be recognized, but I'm sort of done making it a big deal like it was last year.

I remember some bad birthdays of the past, but at 28 I'm feeling awesome. This was a great birthday. I'm not scared to be getting older or any of that anymore. Before, I always used to think I should have accomplished more than I had by whatever age I was turning. I still sort of believe I'm a notch or 2 below where I should be, but I also have a confidence about getting there that makes up for it.

But still, even if you're just looking at me at age 28, I think I've done better than most 28 year old men. In material possessions, I've done great. I own a house, nice clothes, nice stuff.

In my career I've done well. I'm a supervisor, and I make a good living that affords me plenty of free time. I get recognized often for a job well done and I'm respected at work as a guy who knows what he's doing and knows what he's talking about.

In my relationships, I'm doing well. Hill and I are a great, active couple who love trying new and different things, always having fun while doing them. We're not content to just sit at home on the couch watching TV when we could be out for a run or playing Frisbee or taking the dogs on a long walk. My friendships are also doing really well. I don't see Fabish nearly often enough for my tastes, but I know that after over 27 years, he's still always there when I need advice, or someone to take care of the mutt while I'm out of town, etc. Polk lives too far away to see on any kind of regular schedule, but we keep in touch with phone calls and emails, and he still leaves me with a positive outlook after any kind of communication. Because of the new dodgeball season, I see Alan, Kelly, John, Dave, and Emily every week, and sporadically more often. It's true that if you compare my "friend roster" this year to... say... 2 years ago, it's significantly shorter. But now it's also filled with people who I admire and appreciate, and I know they can say the same about me. And really, what's the point of being friends with someone you can't admire or appreciate?

I'd also mention my running group and friends from work, but I know they don't read this thing so I won't bother. But I do absolutely enjoy my time with them and I'm thankful to have them around too. Now I just need to catch back up to their running schedule and I can start joining them for the weekly runs/dinners again. With Hill kicking my butt back into gear, it shouldn't be too long until I'm back on track (pun intended).

Anyway, the point is that I'm doing great at 28 (that should be a t-shirt), with no major complaints and no major drama in my life. And that's fantastic.