I don't FEEL any older...

Happy Birthday to me! (go ahead, have some cake on me. I'm a giver.)

Before I go on there are two things I should tell you. The first is a quickie: this one is almost certainly going off-mission. (but since it's my birthday I'm good with that.)

The second is an explanation of my philosophy of birthdays, which is this: I believe that everybody should think about everyone that they like and love more then they think of themselves, MUCH more then of themselves, for 364 days of each year. If we all think of others consistently then there will be many people thinking of us, and we'll all be ok. But for one day each year, on the day that you were born, you should think of yourself, yourself, and YOU SEF, BABY! I live this philosophy. It's a winner. Win-Ner.

37 years ago today my Mom was probably cursing my very existence, planning sweet revenge on my Dad and promising sexual favors to any doctor who could make this blessed hell STOP. These days we call this childbirth. But to my amazement she's forgiven me, and she and my Dad happily hang with me on my birthday pretty much every year. I give to all on April 28th; I give to all on April 30th. But April 29th is MY day. On April 29th I give to me.

Understand that up until last Thursday I was convinced that I was going to be spending my birthday at the bedside vigil of Granny. In fact, I was pretty sure that Granny's ironic sense of humor had her planning to pull the plug ON my birthday. It would have been a fabulous way for my life-long sparring partner (but with love, big love) to get in the very last word and with no way for me to get back at her! Oh I would have cursed her, but I also would have bowed to her brilliant strategy. She was the master.

But I guess she decided, at the last, to be generous and free the whole family Thursday afternoon. Suddenly I needed to decide how I wanted to spend my birthday, and I went with one of my favorite ways to spend any day: a day-trip to the pacific coast. Me, the parents and a family chum had one hell of a Mutual of Omaha day! We saw elk, we saw a bald eagle, there was also a golden eagle and frollicking harbor seals. In one day! I have a pained trigger finger from all the picture taking!

And we listened to excellent music and all sang along as we cruised down the road. And we ate snacks (because seriously, what is a road trip without snacks? Prison in a foodless car, that's what.) and then also amazing fish and chips as the sun sank in the west (same place it normally sinks, but it's much cooler when the west is all full of water, like a big, cosmic bathtub filling up with the sun) And I got to fall asleep in the back seat on the drive home, which is one of my favorite things since childhood but one I don't get to do much anymore because when you're the driver they really don't like for you to fall asleep in the car and when you're super-single you're pretty much always the driver...

Now it's the end of the day and I'm riding the high into the day after my birthday, also called the "oh crap, that's right: I'm not the center of the universe anymore. Sigh."-day. I'll think of others and give of myself and be generous and considerate and work my philosophy the other 364 days of the year. 364 days to go, baby. Happy Birthday to me.