Celebrations

I'm not big on celebrating things.  Neither of my parents were.  I recall the time of their golden anniversary when my sister Margaret wanted to have a celebration but they weren't interested.

I recall that we had a bit of a celebration after I finished my Ph.D. (We ate Indian food.) I celebrated somewhat, but felt rather burnt out inside.  It was like the scene in Easy Rider where Dennis Hopper said "We did it!" but Peter Fonda said "We blew it." I imagine that's a common feeling among Ph.D.s.

Christmas doesn't mean so much to me.  I look at it as a time to stay home and do nothing.  And at New Year's Eve I make a point of being in bed at midnight, though the noise outside tends to wake me.  And I don't care so much about birthdays, though I always get this cake with white chocolate and strawberries.

Even an event that's good news to me, like Bernie Sanders winning the Michigan primary, doesn't make me so excited.  I've seen too many disappointments in my time!

I remember in junior high when I was in this dispute with a friend of mine, who got his way in the end. But he insisted on celebrating, and kept saying "I won!" for some time after. Ultimately, he lost a friend.