Life

 As a follow-up to yesterday's blog, perhaps this response that I sent to Mark Richardson after my 70th birthday will help to explain who/why I am.  (Fair warning to John, Mardi gets mentioned again.)

Subject: Re: My 70th

Thanks Mark.  Going in to the party, my feeling was that 70 was just a number.  I had this vision of friends and family visiting and chatting together, blow out the candles, and go home.  Nice time.  The reality was much more emotional than I expected - especially the music that Roger and the boys wrote and "Doc and The Fishguts Tribute Band" played.  I saw two people that I had not seen for 50 years!  And everyone who showed up meant so much more to me than I had anticipated.  It was fantastic and I'm not sure I have emotionally recovered yet.

Thank you for your generous comments below.

The saying that I quoted was supposed to be an old German proverb.  "You have to take life as it happens - but you should try to make it happen the way you want to take it."  I have always translated that as "be an architect of your fate, not a victim".  Or, it doesn't matter what comes your way - deal with it and move on.  I think that approach is somehow related to the loss of my father and how I got through that period of my life.

Sometimes it takes a stroke of luck too - like finding a Mardi or a Julie to help you get through the tough times and appreciate and properly enjoy the good ones.

I'll be at your 70th - but don't be in any rush to get there.  Keep on smelling the roses.

Gettysburg here we come!

Regards,

Bud.

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A bit of gardening today and then we watched the Blue Jays lose in extra innings.  But, it's still fun to watch the young guys play.

Golf tomorrow.  Stay well.