The Journey

Birthdays and Wish Lists

You will know from my earlier post that it's my birthday--yes, thank you, absolutely lovely.

Well, I got a gift from my daughter that I simply have to tell you about.  She told me a package was coming and that it was a birthday gift and I should wait to open it on by birthday if I wanted it to be a true birthday present.  I know, I know, I have no little kid left in me at all because I waiting to open it until today.  (OK, not true about the little kid--I just love the whole anticipation thing.)

If you take a look back a few days you'll see an update on my Wish List post in which one of the things I wanted was cool stuff for my photography.  My daughter got me a very cool, very high-quality tripod!  It's amazing! She's amazing! 

OK, I think I'm going to go play with my new toy.

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!!

Don't you love birthdays?  I do.  I get to have other people tell me how cool I am--a bunch of them--all on one day--or even over 2 or 3 days if I play my cards right.  Oh, and speaking of cards, I got those, too.  What fun!

    So, happy birthday to me!!!  I love how I can feel like I'm in my mid-20's when I turn 57 at 9:45 tonight--oops, that's 7:45 Pacific time.  I talk to a lot of people who are all upset that they're getting "old."  I'm not thrilled with the physical aspects of it but I'm getting a total kick out of the benefits of it.  People actually treat me nicer than they did when I was 30--they hold doors for me and sometimes even offer to carry things for me.  I like that.

    I get senior discounts at a few places already.  I get it at the bread store and I got it at a buffet I went to a couple of weeks ago.  The older I get, the more places will honor me with discounts.

    I get to become more comfortable in my own skin.  I can actually remember a time when I sat in my living room with the phone on my leg, calling everyone I knew because I was desperately lonely.  No one was home except a woman I had called a friend and I discovered that the only reason I was there was to be the person she could talk to when she needed to talk.  She couldn't handle it when I needed her.  How sad it was back then.  Now I can't even imagine feeling either lonely or bored.  There's just too much to do and too many friends I just haven't met yet. 

    At 17, 27, or 37 it never would have occurred to me to start up casual conversations with people I'd never met before.  I do that all the time, now.  I talk to people at the hairdresser, in the grocery store, going for a walk, everywhere.  It's fun!  I sometimes learn so fun stuff, sometimes I think maybe we both feel a little better because we talked to one another.

    Yes, I like being 57.  Have a scoop of ice cream in celebration of my birthday (I like ice cream better than cake).

    One more time!  Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!!!

Another Joyful Experience

(written 5/9)

I had an experience of joy and passion while viewing Renoir's Two Sisters at the Chicago Institute of Art and determined I needed to find more opportunities to experience that feeling of joy--that feeling of being totally alive in that moment.  Oh!  That's what it was!  I was thinking neither of the past nor the future--I was thinking only of that very exact moment in time.  I was experiencing that heartbeat of time.  Wow!

Well, I had that same sense of joy when I was in Seattle for a client event that took place at the Experience Music Project (also home of the Science Fiction Museum).  The location alone is enough to bring a smile to my face but when I was there handling registration for the event I was sitting right inside the front door on their Open Access night.  One night a month EMP opens their doors from 5:00 to 8:00 with no admission charge.  I don't know who goes to the museum during the hours when people pay to enter but I know there was more diversity passing through those doors in 20 minutes than I have seen in Bremerton (where I live) in the three years I've lived here!  I'm truly not joking!

While I sat there I experienced that same sense of joy, of being in the moment, of feeling lifted up.  The only times I moved away from that feeling was when I was talking to the EMP staff about moving to Seattle and that was still a pretty darned joyful experience.  My motivation to move has been boosted so much higher than it was.  My spending has just changed and I will be much more frugal until I have the money I need to make my move!  This is too important to allow myself to fritter away the money on transitory, experiential whims.  No!  I have a dream and a goal and I will have my apartment in Seattle--I WILL!

Go be joyful!