Well that’s a fine howdy do

I really wasn’t dreading my birthday last week. In fact, as it approached, it was the first time I ever really remember thinking, “Eh, it’s just another day.” Perhaps it’s a sign of age. Of course, that doesn’t explain why that’s been Rob’s birthday motto since he was in grade school. I long ago had to abandon my penchant for streamers and balloons to commemorate his birthdays. Luckily, he still accepts cards.

So after showing up at the gym and feeling really good about giving myself the Gift of Health for my 42nd birthday, I stopped at the post office. There in our PO box was a thick packet from my doctor’s office. Thick doctor packets rarely bode well.

And so, for my 42nd birthday I was given the gift of Simvastatin. 20mg nightly. Yes, despite my relatively healthy choices and dedication to red wine consumption, apparently I can’t buck genetics. I have high cholesterol. Splendid.

As I sat in the car, trying to remember my youth, I instead remembered my 35th birthday. That day I got a letter from the Social Security Administration announcing with some fanfare that I was now eligible for Medicare due to my disability. Just what every 35-year-old wants: an abandoned career, Social Security checks, and Medicare Part A.

I spent far too much time on my 42nd birthday crinkling my nose at the thought of taking cholesterol medication. Yes, there are certainly things I can and am doing to more naturally help mitigate the dreaded LDL. But frankly, I put a priority on enjoying life and there is a point at which I stop making concessions. One of my favorite sayings of Rob’s: Everything in moderation, including moderation. So I will continue going to the gym and eating oatmeal for breakfast and choosing salad over the cheeseburger. But if I want a piece of cheesecake or a tender hunk of steak now and then, I am going to embrace that, too. And I will pop my nightly pill like a good little girl. But I am now officially dreading my 49th birthday.