Trips Around The Sun!

11:30PM PST
At Home In Scripps Ranch

Today is my birthday!   And the thing with birthdays is that people who are "getting up there" in their years CAN become depressed over the whole thought of aging. 

I felt very good today.  I seem to be the eternal child,  always thinking and feeling younger than I actually am.   I always get compliments that I look younger than my age which is good to receive when you're over thirty-five.   It's funny that when I was younger,  I hated it because I always looked like a kid and was always asked to show ID wherever I went,  when my friends looked mature for their age.   Now,  I am flattered when people think that I'm younger than I really am...    and that's fine with me,  I'll take what I can get,  but I try to feel younger than I am and I believe that's part of the secret,  to think young and keep a positive attitude.

It strikes me as odd that...   as humans,  we don't live very long on this earth,  and some animals live at least twice as long as we humans do.  Those of us who have reached the ages of 100 and beyond are truly blessed for having reached that 100 year milestone.   I hope to reach 100,  I had a couple of great great grandmothers who lived past 100,  so genetically speaking,  I have a chance.

A friend of mine told me one day...   the only thing birthdays tell us is that since the day we were born,  the Earth has revolved around the Sun "X" number of times.   Thus,  for a twenty year old,  it means that since the time he was born,  the Earth has revolved around the Sun twenty times.   That's not very long,  when you realize that the Earth has orbited the Sun billions of times,  long before we were born and will continue to do so long after we are dead and gone.   It's kind of depressing,  but at the same time it's mind-boggling.

So,  what have I learned at this moment in time?   Well,  I think that we all must TRULY live for the moment,  in the "here and now" of our lives.   I DO realize that life is short and that you really have to DO what's in your heart and soul,  and go for it!   Life is but a brief glimpse into eternity!!!   I think that getting in touch with our mortality will make us get the most out of our lives and do things that will help the generations in the future.   And you'd be surprised how many people don't think their lives are important and meaningful, without realizing that we touch many people's lives without really knowing it.   As another friend has said,  the whole "It's A Wonderful Life" premise rings true! 

My Day Today...

After seeing my older son off at the bustop,  and driving my younger son to school amidst the light drizzles of rain,  my wife took me out for a special birthday breakfast.   We went out to the Mission Hills Cafe where we shared a Salmon, Spinach & Mushroom Omelette and a plate of Belgian Waffles topped with strawberries and banana slices in maple syrup.   The food was excellent!!   We were stuffed...

After breakfast my wife took me to the local Borders Books & Music.   She wanted me to choose something there and after some serious browsing found a great jazz album,  Sonny Rollins/Dizzy Gillespie ~ Sonny Side Up.   Nate has this album and we listened to it many times in our hotel room during our stint at Caesar's Palace.   This album is a definite must-have for any jazz musician,  so I simply had to get the album myself for further study,  as drummer Max Roach is also playing on the album.

We then went to a Mervyn's Store in Carmel Mountain and bought clothes for our two boys.   That's when my wife decided that she needed to buy me a brand new watch!   I had been without a watch for almost two months and she bought me a nice watch for my birthday as well!

The rest of the day was spent with our two boys.   We watched Back to the Future III,  since our boys had recently gotten themselves into the Back to the Future movies.   We did some grocery shopping,  picked up a new video from the local video store and ordered take-out Szechuan Chinese food,  and went home to stay out of the rain,  watch our video and eat our dinner...    a nice quiet, relaxing evening...

home
 

Zen Koan of the Day:

Great understanding comes with great love.

Sonny Rollins ~ Sonny Side Up
John Coltrane ~ Live At The Village Vanguard
Leos Janacek ~ Sinfonietta

The Zen Koan Card Pack

Shakespeare In Love
Waking Ned Devine
Back To The Future III
Rush Hour