I was born on this day in 1962, which means, somehow, inexplicably, I am 50 years old.

Yesterday I celebrated with Susan and the boys with a ballon ride in Quechee, VT, a great time. Today is the Special Olympics swim meet, and tomorrow is Father’s Day, so the weekend is stuffed full with special events.

50 is a really big number. Not only does it put me into a different decade of life, but a different round fraction of the century. On top of that, statistically speaking, I will not live another 50 years, so I am decidedly in the second half of my life.

But on the other hand, a birthday is a day like any other, only one day older, and all of that. It’s hard to know what to make of these milestones. Yesterday I was 49.99726, and now I am 50.00000, which is hardly any difference at all. Tomorrow I will be only 50.00274. But 50 is very different from 20, and those changes come from somewhere. Birthdays are simply when we mark them.

Although I still spend most of my waking hours on a computer, it seems to be more about people and less about the computer. I create more English, and less code. I don’t know if this is an extended trend, or just a phase. Luckily I don’t have to know, I just do what interests me.

I freelance and enjoy my independence, but sometimes miss the extended shared focus of a cohesive work group. Again, trend or phase? Don’t know.

So 50 hasn’t brought me wisdom, except to be thoughtful about what matters to me, and to be good to those around me. Perhaps that’s all anyone needs to know.