Traveling Route 66: My Snake Eyes Birthday

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.