My I-Phone was a abuzz with birthday greetings yesterday morning. I want to thank all of my family, friends and yoga teachers for all your good wishes.
I realized I had overslept and missed my 8AM yoga class—but hey it’s my birthday, I told myself, why not? I saw a birthday card and a little booklet Cecile left for me over my sink basin that was entitled 1950: Remember When…A Nostalgic Look Back in Time.
The richness of life is not only realized in savoring each moment but in recalling the memories, hopes and dreams of my parents who literally taught me how to stand and walk on my own two feet and they left behind a keepsake to prove it—my baby shoes they had bronzed—a tradition that goes back for many generations, and has become an interesting family heirloom (see photo).
The history of bronzing goes back to before the 6th century B.C. It was originally used to bronze statues, picture frames, dishes and other household items.
Since 1934, the American Bronzing Company has bronzed over 14 million baby shoes for sentimental, loving parents who wanted to memorialize their baby’s or toddler’s first steps.
In other words to freeze a special moment in time. My bronzed baby shoes are a reminder that my parents loved and nurtured me.
I took a late morning swim at Bay Club Courtside with my new Finis Snorkle and a pair of goggles and Finis Duo Underwater MP3 Player that was gifted to me by good friend Jimi Hunter who uploaded it with 800 songs. I had the entire lap pool to myself, unusual for a Sunday.
After swimming some laps I picked up Cecile and Jason and we went to Effie’s Restaurant that serves breakfast all day long. The person in the booth next to us was also celebrating his birthday.
When I was born in 1950 the average Life Expectancy was 68.2 years I had told a radiologist name Richie at the club. “That means you have 2 more months to live it up,” he joked.
But, since I was born the updated Life Expectancy models show that I have 16.9 years of Additional Life which would bring me to 84.9. My late mom lived until 88 and my dad as many of you know lived two weeks shy of 101. “You have great genes,” my friends tell me and my response is always the same: “As long as I don’t get hit by a truck, I will fine.😎Don’t get me wrong, I am not a fatalist. But, as we all know life happens when we are busy making other plans, so my motto is to live life like there is no tomorrow.
After gifting me a Nike Elite Gym Bag, Jason and Alex treated us to a colorful, sumptuous birthday dinner at Furusato Japanese Restaurant, one of our favorite places to eat.
Considering "furusato" means nostalgia for a past and generally speaking “one’s hometown” with connotations of a place that is not a city, but a memory that invokes a strong sense of nostalgia with warm and positive emotions it seemed a fitting place to celebrate both the past and the present moment.
Photo of me standing on the limb of a tree with my trusty little camera-taken in Sicily when I was 7 years old.
