In fact, for my birthday, if he offered to go through the garage and get rid of all the extra junk, THAT would be the most excellent birthday gift of all, don't you think? Let's throw out this broken clock - happy birthday, honey! And there goes that gloppy 10 year old bottle of motor oil! I'm so glad you were born! And now I'm sweeping it all out - isn't life wonderful? Wow - I'm changing. I really am. How did I get these new eyes that make me crave asparagus so much? Who is this new woman who actually sits and breathes instead of looking at the new dress Talbot's is selling? Okay, I cannot lie - I did sneak ONE little peek at the dress just now - it isn't even that cute. Hey - at least I told you about it.
Having spent those last three days with my dear daughter and son-in-law in Minneapolis really helped me see a lot of things with new eyes. One thing is that their sweet apartment can't hold too much stuff, so everything they have is perfect and beautiful and fits their lives. It's all compact and loved and used. Can I even begin to say that for many of the things in our house? Probably not. Also, sitting beside my daughter, petting her hair when she was in pain, just looking into her face, I was able to breathe and just be present, knowing that THIS is what life is all about. Love, spending time with those we love, supporting, nurturing, tending, talking, laughing. None of those 'things' are things. They are the energy of love. I might say I love coffee, or chocolate, or Lyle Lovett, or my mom's antique doll collection that sits in my library, but they are all things, and will all be gone someday (except Lyle Lovett - he is eternal), so as I feel my priorities continue to shift, I am confident that they are shifting to the more solid ground of the fluid.
And the best birthday present of all? Just being alive. Really really.
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