Happy Birthday to My Social Animal

Here he is, a man with a mission. His mission? To enjoy himself as much as possible, while at the same time becoming successful...and all while making it look easy. Social Animal is turning 19 today. Up until he was school age, I called him my high maintenance kid. He kept me running constantly. He was the little guy who would color on the walls with lipstick and stick a bean up his nose...into everything, ALL THE TIME. He was able to refocus his energies once he entered school and became a very high achiever, and he really did it with a great deal of ease. I never really saw him struggle over anything. And even then, he was definitely a social animal, always surround by friends. As he went beyond little boyhood into his teen years, he got in a few of the usual scrapes, but he always somehow made things right. He played football for all four years, very nearly kept a 4.0...but not quite, because he just wasn't that concerned! See, be it fortunate or unfortunate, he seems to have inherited my rather lackadaisical attitude towards success. He is a get-by kind of guy who is lucky enough to have both the brains and the panache to look great cruising.

Now, at 19, he is restless and eager to get on with his adult life. College has bored him to this point. This summer he is doing a training course so that he can pass the State Certification test to become an EMT. He wants to get started on a career and somehow, no matter what road he chooses, I have a feeling that he will be successful.

Tonight, I am taking him and whoever else he wants to include out for dinner. Then, back to my place for cake and ice cream. He hasn't yet chosen where he wants to go or how many people are coming, but I can be flexible. I just want to give him a nice evening. My red haired boy deserves it :-) Happy 19th Social Animal!