Good: It was my birthday.What today taught me: Every day arrives as a package that has some good and some bad. The trick, I think, is to find the happy stuff and focus on that. Everything else is pretty much immaterial.
Bad: I was sick and had to stay home from work.
Good: My wife came home at lunch to make sure I was alive. It meant I got to spend time with her that I wouldn't have otherwise had.
Bad: I spilled the tea she made me.
Good: Whatever was left in my mug was pretty darn sweet.
Bad: My laptop died today.
Bad: It died five weeks after the 1-year manufacturer's warranty ran out.
Good: I had bought the extended warranty.
Good: I've been diligently doing my backups.
Good: We had cake.
Good: I got to watch our kids have cake. They were so excited because they got to help Mom pick the balloons and pack my present. It was an absolute zoo in the house (kids and sugar, who knew?)
Good: I looked over at my wife amidst the chaos and whispered to her that we created all this.
Your turn: If I stray off of this path in the coming year, please remind me what I wrote today.
How beautiful. And how wonderful that you didn't have to go down on your sore knees, weeping, on the beach, when you had that realization about life being the whole catastrophe, like I did a few weeks ago. It's big, this life. It's incomprehensible. I wouldn't want it any other way.
ReplyDeleteHappy Belated Birthday!
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY, CARMI!! Even though you are sick, I am glad to know that the good outweighs the bad today.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon.
Honestly, you have to be the most sensitive, kind and optimistic man I've ever heard of. You see the good in everything. Hopefully that is contagious!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Carmi! Feel better.....
Tanjyobi omenetoo
ReplyDeleteTanjyobi omenetoo
Tanjyobi omenetoo
Karumi san, omenetoo
Happy birthday, brotha.
What a gorgeous post. I think we all need a little reminder to see the good occasionally.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Carmi. And thank you for the gift of your writing throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteAw, sounds like your package was wrapped in pretty metalic paper with ribbon and ballons, so how come mine came in paper bag brown? waaaaaaaa
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday my friend.
ReplyDeleteThere are too many goods on your list to be bothered by the bads...
Good: You are a wonderful father/husband/friend
Good: You always have something to offer us your readers
Peace
jeremy
Hey. I believe in words too.
ReplyDeleteI'll be a journalist too.
Do you see? I'm now your blog's fan.
I have a blog too (look - another too), but I'm brazilian and my words are portuguese, not english.
If you can speak Portuguese, you can undertand my blog.
If you can't speak my language, you can imagine what my words say.
:)
Good blog!
(Now i'm going to read your posts)
I love you Carmi. I really do! (*smiling*) You are a truly special special man..and I wish you, at this late time of your special day..A VERY VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY and A Very Very Happy BIRTH-YEAR!
ReplyDeleteMay this year be filled with all good things for everything and everyone you hold dear, and more.
Cake. Let's eat some more cake, my dear.
AND....Feel better very very soon, my drar Carmi. (Maybe God gave you a cold so you would have some precious time with your lovely wife...You think? I DO! I Heart You!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Carmi!! This means I will not see your smiling face donating this week (how disappointing). Take time to rest and drink plenty of fluids so that you will recover quicker. I hope to see you again soon!
ReplyDeleteTerri
If I stray off of this path in the coming year, please remind me what I wrote today.
ReplyDeleteYou and me both. I think I'm going to print this out and read it every time I start feeling sorry for myself.
happy, happy birthday carmi! yesterday was my niece's birthday too. :)
ReplyDeletesounds like in spite of being ill you had a wonderous day with your happy little family! and that is just the way a birthday should be.
Happy Birthday Carmi! I notice that Good beats out Bad 2 to 1. What more can we ask from life?
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! Hope you're feeling better.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday!!! Sounds like your family helped you to make the best of it in spite of all the bad stuff. Hope the coming year is a great one for you and that your next birthday finds you health, happy, and with a fully functional laptop!!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you had a good birthday, inspite of not feeling well. The kids were so excited to shop and pick out the balloons and the cake. They got a little carried away (no pun intended!) with the balloons.
ReplyDeleteYou got the cake and the 2 different kids of cupcakes because they couldn't agree on anything.
It's much cheepter without them, but a lot more exciting for them, with them!!
Happy belated birthday. Mine was Sunday.
ReplyDeleteI am always late.
ReplyDeletebut Happy Birthday..
Nice nice nice..
Over from the other Michele once again...
Happy Belated Birthday!!
ReplyDeleteUh...your laptop only lasted a year? Is that the norm for laptops? (mine is three weeks old....and now I'm scared...ha ha)