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Leon Moss

Of Course We Celebrate Birthdays In The Retirement Home!

In fact, for every year we add to our personal score, the party gets wilder… Somewhere in our lifetime, we all stop looking forward to the next birthday, the next new year, the next holiday and the next major event and we start looking back at our achievements, one of which, is our age. “I’m 86, you know. I remember the day my father came home from work driving his first car, a 1934 Plymouth. Wow, it was exciting!” So when a birthday rolls around, it’s an occasion for celebration.  

We leave out the part with the candles and all that blowing but we set out cakes and other sugar free delights and invite friends to come and join us. Today’s party was pitched at the 75 to 85 age-group and while there were no real birthday gifts a great time was had by all. As always there is an age limit so no grandchildren or great-grandchildren were invited and there wasn’t an iPhone or iPad in sight; we sat and talked to each other as we had done back in the old days. 

Conversation is limited as follows: Children – 2 minutes each, grandchildren – 3 minutes each, great-grandchildren – 1 minute each and that favorite of all conversations – ailments – 2 minutes each. You can understand the reasons for these limitations. Much of the conversation consisted of “remember when” stories about travel, holidays, major milestones in our lives and in the world in general. 

The food was prepared by 75 year old housewives, who have unlimited experience in the kitchen and these babes know their cooking. There is no such thing as an untried recipe in their books! Happy birthday every one!

About the Author
Leon Moss grew up in South Africa and has lived in Israel for 35 years; He is a construction estimator by profession, and has been a freelance writer for the past 10 years, writing odd stories, articles and web content. Leon paints and works hard at being retired. He and his wife live in a retirement home in central Israel.