Saturday was my husband's birthday, but we spent most of the time in the car. We were driving to Phoenix for the weekend to celebrate his birthday and see the Warriors play the Suns. My husband is a lucky man. Not only has he lived to see another birthday, but he doesn't mind driving 200 miles to see an NBA basketball game. In the car, his cellphone kept ringing with birthday greetings from family and friends. He put them all on the speakerphone so he could drive with both hands and I could listen in even though it wasn't my birthday. Meanwhile, on the CD player, the Reverend AL Green began to singLove and Happiness. A little good music makes a bad road better. Four hours later, we checked into hotel, got dinner and sat out a rooftop feeling glad to be alive. We had a great weekend--we ate too much, slept too little and the Warriors, well, they lost. But still, it was worth the drive. On the way home, I started thinking about birthdays. In our family, we celebrate four in January, four in February, and all the others throughout the year. Mine is next week. I felt lucky, like my husband, I will get cards and calls and maybe a few videos. I don't need presents any more. When you've seen as many birthdays as I have seen, the only gift you truly want is to see one more. Birthdays are the mile markers on the road of life. They tell us how far we have come, but not how far we have gone. Life is a journey more than a destination. What matters is whom we choose as traveling companions, and how often we get to sit back and enjoy the ride. What kind of birthday gift does the author really want?
A wish to live another year. Calls and cards from friends. A live NBA game Videos from friends and family.