It’s a Dog’s Life 46

This week just been, saw a significant anniversary, my eldest boy turned 18 !

Amid the fatigues of nightshift for me, dayshift for Chris, and backshift for him (he started his first job a few weeks ago), we postponed the celebration till the weekend (astonishingly, everyone off!). Happy birthday son!

Of course everyday is some kind of anniversary, and there no particular reason why one point of the solar orbit should be a more significant day to celebrate or reflect, but depite watching him (and his brother) grow every day – and now they are taller than me – it seems that I did not see that life was hurtling by.

I do not propose to dwell with maudlin thoughts of wasted days, because, for all there are surely lost days, weeks, and months, there have also been many very full ones, and do not consider that this life’s adventures are yet done, though I confess I am a little surprised to notice that I appear to have passed season ten! What new plot twist can the show runners offer (I dread to think).

I reflect with some pleasure, that I met no small number of the friends that may read this, when I was 18. Little did I know that some 40 years later I’d still be stuck with them!

I can only hope that my sons will go on to experience the kind of cast I have shared this life with, and trust that they pick up on at least a few more clues as to where their plot is going.

I often complain here – it is after all – “a Dog’s life” – not – “Another day of sunshine and flowers” (early discard in the title choices) – however I believe that you all know I tend to view my life as a comedy far more than tragdy, and all observatons are tongue in cheek (except maybe the ones about Scottish Gas). Mishap and incident are merely the salt and pepper of an otherwise full and very fortunate existance.

I suspect we should all take a little more time to think on that, and my sons birthday is as good a day as any.

Next week on IaDL – Nightshift, how can I be nightshift again?