February 15, 1971 / Steve at 40
February 15, 1971
On February 15, 1971, the number one song was One Bad Apple by the Osmonds. Amos Moses by Jerry Reed was number 16. And Have You Ever Seen the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival was number 27.
On February 15, 1971, NASA was still celebrating the successful moon mission of Apollo 14, which had landed on February 9.
On February 15, 1971, construction of Walt Disney World in Florida was in full swing, as they headed for the opening date of October 1, 1971.
The Feburary 15, 1971 issue of Time Magazine featured on its cover General Creighton Abrams, who was at that time commanding military operations in the Vietnam War. And the cover of the February 15, 1971 issue of Sports Illustrated featured quarterback Jim Plunkett of the Boston Patriots football team.
On February 15, 1971, the United Kingdom completed its switch from pounds, shillings, and pence to decimal currency.
On February 15, 1971, the United States was celebrating the Presidents Day holiday, as it was the third Monday in February that year.
And on February 15, 1971, I was born.
Steve at 40
So here I am at 40 years old. Actually, the photo below was taken when I was still in the last few weeks of being 39, but it’s close enough. Not much to look at, but that’s as good as it gets.
I’m never a big fan of birthdays anyway, but I especially haven’t been looking forward to 40. Can’t say exactly why, because it really isn’t any different from any other year. But when you think about it, 40 years sounds like a pretty long time. Just look at that list up above of things that happened 40 years ago - seems like a while ago, doesn’t it?
And it moves me into another decade. I can no longer say that I’m in my 30s. Well I could, but it wouldn’t be the truth. Fortunately, most of the surveys and such have the ages broken down so that “35 to 44” is the category that I can still mark.
However, getting a year older is better than the alternative. So I’ll take it, being thankful for the years that God has blessed me with so far. And I’ll keep on enjoying this journey that I’m on for as long as it shall last.
