Now We Are Eight And Forty

Today is my 48th birthday.

On my bookshelves are four volumes by A. A. Milne, including a book of poems titled Now We Are Six. The last poem in the volume is, appropriately, "The End":

When I was One,
I had just begun.

When I was Two,
I was nearly new.

When I was Three,
I was hardly Me.

When I was Four,
I was not much more.

When I was Five,
I was just alive.

But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

On this birthday, barring any great strides in medicine, I am most likely more than halfway through my life. And my life is nothing like I imagined it would be at six, sixteen, or even twenty six. In another twenty years my life will probably not be anything like I imagine now. The best I can do is focus on the moment, on being forty-eight. And you know what? Life is pretty good.

Peace,
Jeffri