gifts

I was born today, thirty-some  years ago. I always think it’s not going to be a big deal for me, it’s just a day like any other, but my natural tendency is to want to ignore it, and then–when it’s too late to fix it–want to do something special to mark the event. I don’t have any sort of birthday tradition, and being the thinking type, I often turn a little too contemplative for my own good. I look at the year gone by, see where I’m at, think about the coming year, think about the steps ahead, think a lot, think too much. This year, some friends threw me a little low-key get together with red velvet cake and fun conversation. It was nice to just have some cake and hugs. I got a few other gifts today, too. A little surprise box’o'goodies, some phone calls, an antique “violette” store find, and a couple of people that I met who turned out to be like answers to prayers. Gifts come in all sorts of forms. I also read this on a random web site today, which made me smile:

“Chess is like a sea where mosquitoes can bathe and elephants can drown.”