I’m fifty years old.

Wow.

I don’t want skull-shaped balloons¹, or a headstone-shaped cake. I just want to get my stuff done, and be surrounded by people who are happy. If the pattern holds true, my own happiness will follow pretty naturally on that, especially if the stuff I’m getting done is stuff that helps the people around me be happy, and happens to be fun to do.

It didn’t take the full fifty years for me to figure that out, but it did take longer than I wanted it to.

¹ Okay, skull-shaped balloons shaped liked actual skulls could be pretty nifty, but don’t bother with the grave-cake. Grey frosting is for yuck.