This is 40: The South Africa Version

With my 40th birthday slowly approaching, and the brief hiatus as a “young 30 something married to a geriatric 40 something” coming to its short-lived 3-month close, I felt intrigued to do a bit of “soul searching.” Not necessarily to contemplate the meaning of my life over the last 39 11/12 years (which FWIW, falls somewhere between TBD & aspiring yet failed amateur blogger), but instead, to understand why the concept of a birthday has become such an important part of the lives of those in our society. A date in time that commemorates a moment we personally will never remember, which to be completely honest, is probably is for the best.

And since I always like to invoke a bit of “knowledge sharing,” within these blog posts, I felt compelled to reach out to my good friend Google, as to further understand the originations of the concept of a “birthday.” To truly appreciate why the upcoming 19th of May, my own date of entry into this world, is considered such a significant milestone (aside from commemorating my ability to stay alive for another 365 days).

The results were surprisingly informative:

• Fact 1: The concept of a birthday did not exist for a good part of human history, as it relies heavily on the notion of a calendar (i.e. the non-stone-based version) to prove its existence. And with the average person only celebrating about 25 of them by the time the first calendar came to be around 3100 B.C., I guess I should consider myself lucky my conception was placed on-hold until the 20th century.

 

• Fact 2: The first-ever “person” to celebrate a birthday was an Egyptian Pharoah, over 5,000 years ago. Yet, it was not a celebration of his “entry into life,” but instead, of his ascent into that of “becoming a god.” So pretty much how every self-indulgent person on Instagram feels when they repost OTHER people wishing them happy birthday, on their own Instagram feed. 

 

• Fact 3: The Romans were the first to celebrate the birthdays of “non-gods” (i.e. Janes & Joes) during the 12th century. How very woke of them.

 

• Fact 4: Most birthday traditions have been piecemealed together, by multiple countries, over thousands of years, to create the ultimate Chucky Cheese dream experience:
  • Candles & Cake: Ancient Greece
  • Birthday Parties: Germany
  • Birthday Song: America (insert obligatory USA! USA! USA!)

 

• Fact 5: October 5th is the most common date for birthdays. Which also means, a lot of people who were too drunk/hungover to “partake” on New Year’s Eve/Day, did so several days later. There are many nicknames for these children, my favorite of which is of course, "oopsy daisies"

 

• Random Fun Fact: My own personal “shared birthday” list, is, well… unique:
  • Malcolm-X – The Ying to MLKs Yang
  • Bill Laimbeer – If you know, you know
  • Andre the Giant – Anybody want a peanut?
  • Ho Chi Minh – Not a big fan of the US
  • Pol Pot – Not a big fan of humanity

End of History Lesson

Now, prior to our move to South Africa, we were both quite aware that we would be celebrating a “milestone birthday” during our year away. And while we wouldn’t have friends and family nearby to revel in our ascent to the oh-so-exalted 4-0, we would be celebrating in memorable fashion at the tip of the African continent, which somewhat makes up for the lack of awkward hugs and endless text messages from those we haven’t heard from in approximately 365 days, give or take. (I take that back, Julie had friends visit. Mine were less willing to do a repeat visit from 15 years prior). 

For me personally, the festivities to commemorate my 40th were orchestrated by the lovely editor-in-chief of this blog (i.e. Julie “I Don’t Like Tabouli” Soskolne), with several “activities” planned out over the course of the week. Each representing an aspect of my life that apparently comprises my “unique” personality.

• Adventurousness (Paragliding) – After several weeks of living in our quaint & cozy home in Sea Point, we noticed a recurring theme throughout the day. A respite from sunny skies, with a brief shadow enveloping our house. Yet, with no clouds in the sky, we soon realized our quick stint with darkness was from an endless flow of paragliders, soaring high above our home, from the nearby Signal Hill launching point. With this recurrence soon leading to daily calls of “PARAGLIDER!!” from the boys, we decided our 40th birthdays were the perfect excuse to partake in this “extreme” endeavor that has become an official fixture of our household.

 

• Laughter (Comedy Show) – As avid fans of laughing (as well as chuckling, giggling and even smiling), it had been (insert length of time COVID has been a thing) since our last comedy show. And with YouTube videos failing to fill that void during the interim, it felt time to take advantage of a “lull” in cases, and find our way back into the comedy circuit. Thanks to some “local advice” from friends, we picked up tickets to see a well-known South African comedian, Marc Lottering, who would be performing during the week of my 40th. And while I will steer clear of attempting to re-enact any of the hilarious jokes which comprised his 90-minute set, I will say, when 85% of punch lines are in a foreign language (in this case, Afrikaans), at some point you aren’t entirely sure why you are laughing, but since everyone else is, you just kinda ride it out.

 

• Outdoorsiness (Overnight Hike) – The pun-inspired “summit” of my 40th birthday celebration came to fruition via a surprise night away, my first in over 12 months (insert deep, deep, really deep, sigh). Utilizing the tried-and-true technique of “ask someone else to plan it,” Julie employed the assistance of our good friend Dave, who helped to coordinate an epic overnight hiking adventure just a few hours outside of Cape Town, along the popular Boesmanskloof hiking trail (which for those who are curious, translates to “Bushmen Gorge”). Thus, for 2 days, we hiked “in the bush,” almost 28km in length, amongst surreal landscapes & hidden waterfalls. And while most people would choose a more relaxing way to spend their 40th, I would trade the screams & cries of children in the morning for body aches any day of the week.  

And there you have it. The successful completion of my entry into the 5th decade of my life. With the only blip being Finn’s meager attempt to sabotage it all, by conveniently timing an “African Death Cold” to climax right at the precipice of my birthday (i.e. 5 consecutive sleepless nights leading to a special birthday outing to the doctor for antibiotics, which he then of course refused to take). Let’s just say, the official parental mantra of the week quickly become “I just need a second.” Don’t worry Finn, I have a special surprise for you come your 21st. Just you wait. 😊

Onto the pics: