Another Year Older

It was my birthday last Friday. My family and a lot of friends I grew up with wished me a happy birthday on Facebook. To them I’d like to say thank you.

I don’t like making a big deal about my birthday. When I was a kid my mom once set up a big birthday party for me. There was cake and ice cream, balloons, and I think there was even a Bar-B-Que. She also invited all the kids in the neighborhood.

I was a small kid and sick a lot. It seemed like I caught any cold or flu that was going around until I was 12 years old. When I walked into my birthday party I saw just about everyone who picked on me. I didn’t want to be there so I left.

I came back to the house around dinner time. My mom was angry even after I told her why I left. She asked what I expected her to do with the presents. I told her I didn’t want anything from those guys so she could throw them away because I didn’t care. My brothers divided them up.

The next year my brothers told me they get cake and ice cream at birthday parties so when my mom asked me what I wanted, I had better not say nothing. The next day my mom did ask me what I wanted for my birthday. I said “Pizza”. So she took us all out to eat pizza. My brothers and sister were happy. The pizza was pretty good too.

I’m 50 years old now and didn’t do anything different for my birthday. I still just want to be left alone. When I was walking past a planter box downtown over the weekend I saw some tools in the dirt. Someone who was working on a job must have been in a rush and left then there. I picked up a crescent wrench and half a small socket set along with the case.

That was a good birthday present.

It was a quiet weekend in Seattle. The weather is getting cooler. People are talking about the eclipse that happened today. A friend of mine named Tom posted on his Facebook Page: Is it wrong if you don’t care about the eclipse? You either care about something or you don’t. So I would say - No Tom, it’s not wrong.

I’m seeing a lot of clips in the news about North Korea, Trump, and the Middle East. It all sounds the same as when I was a kid in the early 80’s. Only then it was the Soviet Union, that later split up. Everyone I do called them “commies”. We were the good guys and they were the bad guys. I’m not sure what they called us.

I really didn’t know any Russians. When I went to work in Alaska I met a lot of Norwegians who spoke their language. One day my boat pulled into port and there were some fishermen playing chess on the dock. One of them asked in broken English if any of us wanted to play. They turned out to be Russians.

They were waiting for their boat to get repaired. Some of them were from one-horse farm towns like the one I grew up in. It turned out the Commie Bad Guys from Russia were just a bunch of guys. Well, at least the ones I met.

Then there’s all the hype behind Trump being a rich guy who doesn’t belong in office. It’s the same kind of talk I heard when Reagan got elected. They said he got in office because he was an actor and knew how to look good on television.

The news is almost the same as it was when I was in Jr, High School. Everything worked itself out with the Soviet Union and I’m sure the same thing will happen with North Korea. People remember Reagan as a president who die okay and they’ll probably say the same thing about Trump.

I still think he got elected to make unpopular decisions. People know things need to happen but they don’t want to get blamed and end their political careers. Trump is The Fall Guy, or more to the point, The Bad Guy.

As for the Middle East, how long have people there been at war? At least as long as I can remember. When I was a kid there were news reports of the fighting in that area. I hope people who live there eventually sort out their issues.

I don’t have any answers. I’m just a laborer who got too injured to do construction. Now I’m collecting disability and want to go to Art School because it’s something I’m good at.

I read somewhere the only things anyone can control is what they say and do. I don’t remember what book I was reading or who this fictional character was talking to. Whoever was listening was told to think before they talk and act. You never know who or what you’ll effect.

Written by Mark Blevins

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About Me:

I was a Construction Worker and Commercial Fisherman. An injury on a fishing boat in Alaska forced me into early retirement. Now I’m a Writer and Blogger. Having to start over forced me to realize people are more than their job title.

Contact me at 1mark.blevins1@gmail.com