Celebrating Life's Milestones: Birthday Reflections at 64

Turning 64 recently prompted me to reflect on the birthdays that have left lasting impressions throughout my life. After a young DMV clerk kindly informed me this would be my last eight-year license renewal (apparently, I'll need more frequent eye checks going forward), I found myself diving into birthday memories sparked by a StoryWorth question from my daughter.

My 40th birthday stands out vividly – when friends crowded into our small family room to watch a surprise VHS montage my wife had created from photos of my life. That night echoed the sentiment from "It's a Wonderful Life" that no man is a failure who has friends. The thoughtful Skip Barber Racing School gift from my wife, which my brother joined me for, transformed the celebration from memorable to extraordinary.

The pattern of meaningful experiences over material gifts continued throughout the years – nearly catching one of Rod Stewart's soccer balls on my 50th, seeing the Eagles at Rupp Arena exactly 40 years after I'd first seen them there, celebrating with locals during a family trip to Haiti, and most recently, driving BMWs around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with my brother. These moments remind me that the most treasured gifts aren't things we can hold but experiences that stay with us forever.

Growing up in a family that celebrated birthdays with homemade cakes and gatherings (my dad and brother even share the same April birthday) instilled in me an appreciation for marking these personal milestones. What about you? What birthdays stand out in your life story? I'd love to hear your memorable celebrations – reach out anytime or share this episode with someone who might enjoy reflecting on their own birthday memories.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy
• 0:31 Turning 64 and License Renewal
• 0:53 The StoryWorth Birthday Question
• 1:38 Memorable 40th Birthday Celebration
• 3:40 Bucket List Birthday Experiences
• 5:51 Family Birthday Traditions and Closing

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy. I'm your host, dan, and each week we'll embark on a new adventure, discovering memories and life lessons of our incredible guests, from everyday travelers to thrill seekers and everyone in between. This podcast is your front row seat to inspiring stories of passion, resilience and the pursuit of happiness, so buckle up and enjoy the ride. Short episode today. This past week, I celebrated a birthday, number 64. I went to renew my license. She goes four or eight years. I said eight years. She said this is the last time you can do it for eight years. I looked at her. She was a young lady. I said oh, too old she goes. Yeah, we need to check your eyes more often. Okay, I'm good with that.

Speaker 1: 0:53

If you followed along on my last short episode about my first job, you know that in 2023, for Christmas, my daughter Lauren gave me the gift of StoryWorth. You can find them at storyworthcom. She basically gave me 53 questions to answer. She knows I'm a big fan of people's stories, so I'm hopeful she just wanted some of my stories. Since it was my birthday week, I thought I would go back to one of her questions and maybe it'll make you think about your birthdays. Maybe you have great memories? I hope you do. The question was describe one of your most memorable birthdays. Now, I could come up with a lot of memorable birthdays from my childhood. Here is how my story went. I've had a lot of wonderful birthdays. One that stands out was my 40th. It seemed like a milestone birthday. I remember when I was a young boy I thought people were really old at 40. I've changed my mind now that I just turned 64.

Speaker 1: 1:54

My wife went all out for my 40th. She pulled a large number of our friends together. Our house at the time did not support the 20 or so people she invited. She had us all cram into our small family room. It was actually a porch many years before that someone had enclosed. Our TV at that time is one that she and I had bought early in our marriage. It was a Sony TV. It was heavy, not like today with the flat screens. I'm guessing maybe it was 20, 26 inches, I'm not sure I know. One person couldn't pick it up. It was too heavy. I could not figure out why she'd crammed us all into this tiny space. We'd been enjoying ourselves in the dining room, the living room. She proceeded to turn on the TV and start a video playing. It was on a VHS back in those days. I still have it.

Speaker 1: 2:43

She had gathered photos of my life, including photos with people who were in the room. As I watched the video, memories flooded back in my mind of my life. There were pictures of friends I had known for years, pictures of family and pictures of me. I was reminded of the final scenes in A Wonderful Life, the quote from Clarence the Angel. In a wonderful life, the quote from Clarence the Angel. Remember no man is a failure who has friends, and I felt very fortunate to have friends around me that night. I received some nice gifts, some books and wonderful cards. The one gift that I'll always remember is the one Linda bought me. She was sending me to a three-day class at Skip Barber Racing School at my favorite track, mid-ohio in Lexington, ohio. I then received a book from my brother titled Going Faster, by Skip Barber. It contained a note that he would be attending the class also, which made it even better.

Speaker 1: 3:37

Another birthday weekend that I'll always remember Linda and I were in Chicago for my birthday. I was 50 years old. We wanted to do something for fun. I did a quick search for tickets and found that Rod Stewart was in town at the arena, I was able to snag two tickets fairly close to the stage. We had seen Rod on a number of occasions, but this one seemed special with it being my birthday. You may know that Rod kicks out soccer balls into the audience. At least he used to. I don't know if he still does. I had never been close to one he kicked, but this night I was and I was within inches of catching the ball. Actually, I think I touched it with the tip of my finger. At least that is the way I remember it. If any of you know Rod Stewart, maybe you could have him send me a soccer ball.

Speaker 1: 4:23

I once spent my birthday in Haiti with my family, celebrating with a large group of Haitians, who made me feel very special. Another memorable birthday was when my wife took me to a Reds game on my birthday, which was a bucket list item for me to see a baseball game on my birthday. My wife knows that I prefer experiences over material things, and I've already shared some of those memorable moments. My 2019 birthday was another fantastic experience. After having dinner with our children, we were driving home. She was driving when I decided to check out concerts in our area, I discovered that the Eagles would be performing at Rupp Arena in Lexington in April. I had seen them in Rupp Arena back in 1979 and I thought wouldn't it be fun to see them 40 years later. When we got home, we enjoyed cake and ice cream. Linda handed me a card I think I might have made some comment about oh, just a card, and inside were two tickets to see the Eagles. It was an incredible surprise and made my birthday unforgettable. In 2024, she surprised me once again with another amazing experience. She and my brother's wife gifted each of us a one-day BMW M experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I had the opportunity to spend the day with my brother driving BMWs on the iconic road course at the Speedway. It was an unforgettable day and my brother and I had the time of our lives. It was a birthday I will never forget.

Speaker 1: 5:51

I grew up in a home where birthdays were celebrated. My parents and my brother share April birthdays. Actually, my dad and brother have the same birthday. My grandma would make the cakes On many occasions. Cousins and friends would gather around the table in the small kitchen to celebrate. I have enjoyed many birthdays with my own family, which I hold dear to my heart. I hope you have wonderful memories of your birthdays. Thank you for tuning in to Dan the Road Trip Guy. I hope you enjoyed our journey today and the stories that were shared. If you have any thoughts or questions or stories of your own, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to me anytime. Don't forget to share this podcast with your friends and family and help us to spread the joy of road trips and great conversations. Until next time, keep driving, keep exploring and keep having those amazing conversations. Safe travels and remember you can find me on the internet at dantheroadtripguycom.