As far as I can tell, it was Jimmy Buffett who first likened one’s birthday to a trip around the sun. I like that. I like it a lot. Because scrape away all the things that don’t matter, and life boils down to just that – a trip. One with a beginning and middle that differs from one person to the next. The end, though, is common to us all.
Today is my thirty-seventh birthday. A person can easily learn a lot in thirty-seven years, and one can certainly learn very little, too. I figure that if I’m going to be spinning around on this beautiful hunk of rock for very long, I’d best be learning something.
It’s been my practice for the last twenty or so years to sit down on the eve of every birthday and write out what I’d learned over the previous twelve months. The reasons for this vary from year to year, but they all come down to this: I need to make sure I’ve learned something. Thinking that I’ve wasted 365 entire days would be a little depressing.
My list of things learned is posted over at Katdish’s blog today, and dare I say so, but it leads me to believe that I’ve had a more than adequate year. Much of the thanks for that goes to you, who bothers to take a few moments out of what I’m sure is a busy day to stop here just to see what’s been on my mind. You have no idea how much I appreciate you.
So come on over and read my list. Add to it if you’d like. Take away some, too. And hey, any birthday wishes would be most welcome…
