That would be me. I turned 51 last week.

So what is it like to be 51?

Honestly, 51 does not feel much different from 50. Last year’s birthday hit me much harder in terms of getting older.

This has been said before, but I believe that if you haven’t grown up by the time you are my age, you don’t have to. Actually, this is only partially true.

However, who says I cannot watch Disney movies and play Centipede in the local retro arcade (Spinners, for those of you living in Frederick, Maryland)? Who says I cannot wear Converse (I would if it were not so expensive) or chew bubble gum?

Each year should have its accomplishments. Fiedler Editorial had a very dry summer from a business standpoint, but my accomplishment in that desert was being bold enough to send out hundreds of cold emails to university biochemistry/molecular biology department heads offering my editing services for their research manuscripts. I got exactly two positive responses and I was elated by them. I also got one “please remove my name from your mailing list” response, which stung, but did not keep me from moving on.

Another accomplishment in the desert was not having a single month where my earnings were zero. (Thank Heaven for small favors, right?)

I just had another accomplishment yesterday; I finished editing a scientific literature review. The number of abbreviations in the review made it quite challenging, and so did formatting the review. However, it was quite informative and I learned a lot. And I did what I do best—editing.

Do you have any accomplishments since your last birthday that you wish to brag about?

As nearly everyone knows, a few years ago the mail began slowing down. At Christmas 2020, it nearly ground to a halt. I remember seeing news footage of truckloads of mail waiting to be processed by woefully understaffed personnel. This was, of course, not the fault of these postal workers. But I would rather write about how this mail slowdown affected yours truly.

On January 9, 2021, my husband and I went out to eat at our favorite authentic Mexican restaurant. We had agreed prior to the meal that we would pay with my credit card. At the end of the meal, I presented our server with my card, on which I suspected no unsavory activity and which I knew had not been maxed out.

The server returned to tell me that the card “didn’t work.” Now, nothing screams “DEADBEAT” like having your credit card rejected at a restaurant. I politely asked the server to run the card again. Again, it was declined.

If you are thinking that my husband and I had to wash dishes that afternoon—you’re wrong. That was because we were able to pay with my trusty debit card. On the way home, my husband and I stopped at a CVS Pharmacy to pick up some medicine. Guess what? The credit card didn’t work there either.

Upon arriving home, I called my credit card company in a panic. I was informed that my last payment (which I had mailed on December 12) was not received by the due date (December 28!). I explained when I had mailed the payment (which had to go from my hometown in Maryland to Charlotte, North Carolina, and not Kathmandu) and the operator was extremely kind, not only believing me, but canceling the late fee and the interest.

I then called a friend and she said she had heard about the same kind of thing happening all over the country.

I was getting Christmas cards in February 2021.

How have you handled something like this, if it has happened to you?

EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to birthday commemorations, I will be away from my blog until November 24, 2024. Have a great two weeks, everyone.