My birthday is coming up in a few days and it is often very difficult. II think I've come to realize that when we were little, birthdays marked some sort of important milestone. Being one was a big deal. Two. Then Three and so on. Those milestones marked big changes. But when we became adults, these milestones became very artificial and imposed lots of expectations. If you turned 25 and weren't married or engaged, well that was a problem! No kids by 30? What are you waiting for? Stable in your career by 35-40. Financially set by your 50's. Golfing in Florida in your 60's. All artificially set - mostly by TV or meddling relatives. Well, I missed most of those milestones. And for a long time it did get me down. I was SUPPOSED to be this for that by a certain age and I'm not. I spend eight hours a day in a chicken coop of a cubicle, have a car with 210,000 miles and bad brakes and not sure what ailment is going to show up next. It got me down until I started noticing the same homeless woman on my way to my chicken coop office every day. I realized there were a few milestones she didn't hit either. I wish everyones birthday could be like the ones you see in the Hallmark ads.some are, most aren't. So I just try to be grateful for what I do have.