The Absent Uncle: The big 5-0

This morning I woke up to realization that my daughter, who lives in a far distant state from Texas, was turning 50 today. I knew it was coming, she has been dreading it, and now here it is. The Big 5-0. 

Being in the 70-plus plus range, the Big 5-0 is not quite so daunting. In fact, I would really enjoy going back and reordering my own Big 5-0. 

But wait; relive it?  

This is my story of the Big 5-0. 

I was working for a school bus company in Kansas; I had an administrative assistant that was a really good work partner and a party organizer par excellence.   

(Just a note as you read further, that admin assistant was a couple of months younger than I. When the Big 5-0 came around for her, I bought she and her husband a really nice dinner and celebrated the event quite respectfully.) 

Back to my story. So, the big day came around – I innocently headed to my office in downtown Wichita, Kan., and on the second tallest building in Wichita the flashing banner at the top of building announced my 50th birthday to anyone driving by. Sitting at a red light, seeing the flashing banner on the building I groaned. This was the beginning of my day. 

My admin assistant was a very resourceful person. I found my entire office to be waist deep in black and white balloons, my desk to be covered with the traditional teasing ornaments including packages of male depends. My computer keyboard tray to have become a black cake holder with “50” predominately displayed.

After popping those balloons, getting my computer keyboard operational, it was just the beginning. Every 15 minutes from 9 to 3 I had calls from all sorts of colleagues. Bosses, people that reported to me, friends from all over. All wishing me a happy 50th birthday.   

All arranged by that admin assistant. A day I will never forget – and never want to live over again. Somehow, someway, she kept her job, although during the two-hour calls, my boss had to talk me out of her termination. 

Ah, the workplace. So many good things, so many … just swallow your frustration, understand the process of aging in our society… put up with it … all will be well. And I did. But it was a really long day.