Mexico City, Mexico
April 1, 2015
Double 6's! Snake eyes! 66!
This is the only birthday I've ever
viewed with trepidation.
In January 1978 when my father turned
66, he said to me, “I'm now the age my father was when he died.”
This was on his birthday—January 2nd—and I remember well him
telling me this.
That was 37 years ago. My father lived
another 16 years. He'd only barely retired when he reminded me of
his father's early death.
I never knew my grandfather, never knew
what habits led him to a sudden death by heart attack at 66.
And so while I could have approached
this day with real dread, I decided to turn it around and view it as
positively as possible.
This is the year I'm traveling Route
66! This is the year for a new adventure.
This is the year that rolling double
sixes will bring me good fortune.
And so I started it off the day before
with a bus ride to Acapulco. It was the first Sunday of Holy Week in
Mexico and I knew it was still early in the week that the city
wouldn't be totally overrun with tourists.
I spent all Sunday afternoon on the
beach, and on my birthday, which started off cloudy and cool—a bit
unusual for the Pacific Coast at this time year, I stayed on the
beach until sunset.
For years I've wanted to paraglide and
each time I've come to this resort town I've found a reason not to do
it. I've always chickened-out. Last year I used the excuse of my
“new knee” thinking that the impact of landing would damage it,.
This year I just said
DO IT!
And do it I did.
I waited until late in the afternoon
when the wind kicked up and I knew that there'd be an easy lift off
the beach. I slapped down 250 pesos, put my trust in the guys who
strapped the parachute behind me and in the powerful motor on the
boat that would whisk me off the beach and out and above Acapulco
Bay.
I was not disappointed!
It was only a five minute ride, but it
was down as a memorable five minutes. Not quite as exhilarating as a
real parachute ride, but fun nonetheless. This is definitely
something neither my father nor my grandfather did when they turned
66.
I do not like being 66! I would much
prefer being 26, but that it not the way life works. I am so grateful
that I got this far and am so grateful the abundance that is in my
life.
Recently, I met a family whose 35+
daughter was developmentally delayed. I was told by her sister that
during her birth enough oxygen was cut off that it affected her
neurologically for the rest of her life.
My mother reminded me many times that
when I was born I was a “blue baby.” I do not know if that term
is used anymore, but it's the same thing that happened to this young
woman. All through my life my mother marveled at what I had
accomplished, because my birth foretold another possibility.
I'd never really thought of it much,
but meeting this young woman has put this birthday into perspective.
As my father used to say, “I'm just grateful to turn another year
older...and a year older where I'm well and healthy.
Thank God for all this! Thank God for
this birthday. Thank God for another year.
