Sunday, July 23, 2006 | by nathan

Has Anyone Seen My Carefree Youth? I Know I Left It Around Here Somewhere…

I am 26 years old today. Very technically speaking I will not be 26 until 6:05 p.m., because that, I am told, is what time I was born after my mother walked herself from a doctor’s appointment over to the hospital in Weatherford, Oklahoma after the doctor said, "You’re not having back pain. You’re in labor." And so, she got up off the table, and walked herself to the emergency room.

In many ways, I am her son.

So today I am 26. Someone asked me last week how old I am and I said, "I’m 26." Just trying it on, seeing how it feels. 26. 26. 26. 26.

Last year some dumbass girl at the pool where I was working freaked out about how "old" I was when I told her it was my 25th birthday.

Two years ago I made minor Oklahoma City Legend with my incredible feats of drunken karaoke.

On my 20th birthday I was in Ireland again after a trip to London with Tish. I missed home, and mommy, and I called her to get her to tell me about the day I was born, but I think she was irritated because it was the first of my birthdays we hadn’t spent together, so she was very short, like, "I went into labor. You were born. Well, I gotta go."

On my 7th birthday we were vacationing in Colorado, our family doing its yearly camp-out, and mom and dad took me to Dinosaur National Monument. In the pictures of that day I look sarcastic and put-upon, but I remember it as being one of the best days ever, at least, for a seven-year-old.

My 25th year was a joyous surprise; a lot of good happened and, for the first time in a long time, I can honestly say I am really happy with where my life is, and who I feel I am becoming. As a child I feared adulthood. Now I am glad to be getting older. All the drama and hormonal fear of my teens, all the false starts, bad nights and crazy paranoia of my early twenties - all of that is gone, and while I am not sure what is next, I am sure looking forward to it.

Brian got me a new camera and a bottle of Effen Black Cherry vodka. Mom got me a gift card to Macy’s so we could get stuff for the house. I love this family.