This is a brief summary of some nice things that happened today. It was a great day.
Happy New Year to one and all; see you in 2015 and thanks for reading. Tell the world about the blog!!!
ADDED AT THE END OF THE NIGHT…
December 30, 2014 – My 50th birthday!
Great things that happened today:
-My 16yo son gave me a big Bday hug. Those who know my story know how significant this is…
-As soon as I got out of the house in the morning, a big flock of birds (I believe they were Starlings) flew by. I love those flocks!
-I went to have breakfast at my favorite coffee place (-bucks…). As I was paying, something fell behind the counter making a loud noise and the reaction of the barista was to shout HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (:-) I told her that it was indeed my birthday and my buddies at the counter congratulated me and called me “Birthday Boy”. Oh, I also got a free drink!
-My breakfast was delicious.
-Still at SBucks, I ran into a dear friend. Chatted for a bit.
-My sister and my mom made me a wonderful video with picture memories and called me over the phone.
-Got a clean bill of heart health from my cardiologist! Whohoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!
-My wife and kids decorated our house with many posters (over the hill, etc… (:-)…). Here’s some…
-They also gave me presents! A Dr. Who book, a Dr. Who bookmark, a pilates mat, an ‘over the hill’ cane and a funny agenda.
Oh, and a medal!!! O_o
-I went to a bookstore.
-I went to dinner with the family. Had seafood paella!!!
-Got a homemade birthday cake (carrot, yum!).
-My brothers called me over the phone.
-Over the day, I got a lot of congrats from friends and family via FB.
-I felt loved!
-Great day indeed!
-The very best thing that happened today: I am alive and well, enjoying life with my loved ones… Thank you God!
(:-D
ORIGINAL POST
Today, December 30th, 2014 is my fiftieth birthday. Yep, I am a Baby Boomer…
Wow, where did time go? Wasn’t I supposed to be 30 forever?
That being said, I am so lucky! I get to celebrate my half century with loved ones, namely my wonderful wife and my three children. They all know how I love them, so I’ll stop right here… (:’-)… And even though I will not be able to be with them physically, I know that my mother, my sister and my brothers send their love and will tease me to no end, thankfully by phone…
Anyway, it is very difficult for me to express how happy I am that I will be able to be with Lisa and the “kids” this year. Last year, it was not as clear that I would be able to.
I am aware that there are people in the world that are going through much worse things than the ones I experienced, I really do, but at the same time I do realize that my experiences only happened to ME, and they affected myself, no one else. I believe that I have the right to reflect on them and above all, learn from them.
Anyway, I found a website that lists ‘important’ cultural events from your birthdate. Nice, but what I was mostly interested was well, guess? Science. I found a nice Wikipedia entry with some scientific events of 1964. There are some goodies there.
But as oftentimes happen, I digress. What is my point?
I am grateful for my life. I am grateful that I am able to think (more or less clearly, and largely dependent on who you ask).
I am grateful that I can read, that I can learn, and that I live in a moment in time when information is easier to obtain than ever.
I also feel **very** grateful that life, or the universe allows me to be a science and nature enthusiast and that I am able to share what I learn with other like-minded people.
I am grateful that not everything is known, that there is quite a bit of mystery in our universe and that as far as we can tell, those mysteries can, in principle, and in many cases in practice, be deciphered by science, and that there are plenty of things waiting to be discovered. I even expect to find one or two of them.
I am grateful that I am able to express what I learn in spoken and written form, so I can share it with others.
I am grateful that due to the wonders of blogging, I have met people who in all likelihood would have never met otherwise. These people are more than friends; they are very much like like-minded siblings that get along with each other, so Peter, Rebecca, Sam, John, Marty, Sofía, Erik, “List of X” and Sedeer, thank you for letting me to learn from you and for sharing your thoughts with the world. Our planet is a little better because of you and your ideas.
I am grateful that to the “magic” of social media, I have been able to find so many good friends from high school. I was even able to find a true brother, Eddie, who I have not seen for close to 20-odd years and every time we talk over the phone, we are 17 again!
I could go on, but I think I have made my point. Would I change things that I have done or that have happened to me in these 50 years?
You bet.
However, one last thing that I am grateful for is that I cannot travel in time. A wonderful example of what could happen is told in the Star Trek: The Next Generation simply delightful episode, “Tapestry“.
Simply stated, Thank you God, for everything…
(:-)
~~
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Pharmacology – Biology – Neuroscience – Science – Research – Planaria – Writing – Education – Autism
Happy Birthday! I dreaded turning 50, even though I too should have been grateful to be alive. My heart condition took a turn for the worse in 2012. Yet, as much as I dreaded the thought of being the big five O, I’ve come to realize its a very peaceful time in my life. Though I still have unmet goals, I feel very settled and content. I don’t feel older, I feel wiser.
Now, where’s the cake?
Got my favorite, Carrot Cake!!!!! Got a pic on FB, do you do FB?
Reblogged this on Baldscientist and commented:
Added content!
Happy Birthday and Happy New Year!
Thank you!!!!
Happy Birthday Oné!!! I wish you a happy and productive 2015. I just finished reading your TFB book. I think it is really amazing and I enjoyed a lot reading it. In the next few days I have to write a Book Review of it. So, I hope you will enjoy and like the review as much as I liked your book
Thanks Francesc! Also, thanks so much for what you said about my book. You have no idea how much they mean, especially coming from a scientist of your caliber… I am humbled. Thanks again!!!!!