“Life should not only be lived, but it should also be celebrated.”
—Osho
Before heading to the Blue Door Jason took a group selfie of us with Daisy whom we are going to be dog sitting
for the next few days. We love to take her on the walking trails where we live. After the photo, we met up with our daughter, Michelle, Kyle, our granddaughter Lyla, Kyle’s mom Kim and Jason’s partner, Alex at the restaurant.
We ordered some drinks and appetizers including Prosciutto Flatbread and Mediterranean Sampler. For dinner, we had Chicken Kebabs Platter, Scallop & Prawn Risotto, The Blue Door Burger, Fish and chips to name a few.
For dessert, we ordered one of Jason’s longtime favorites: Affogato which is a Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream served with a single shot of espresso. We ordered one for Jason and three for the table and sang Happy Birthday to him after which he blew out the candles. At 38 years old Cecile and I would like to think we were good parents and that we didn’t subject him to any childhood trauma.
But, we’d be wrong. Have you ever ordered a tantalizing dessert and once it’s placed in front of you, one or two people at the table would say oh, I don’t want dessert, I’ll just have a “bite” of yours. By the time you’re done “sharing” half of it is gone and you are left feeling deprived. That’s what we used to do to poor Jason, especially as we got older and the thought of eating an entire dessert became daunting. We almost always would say “We’ll just take a bite or taste of yours. I got to thinking about how we took this habit for granted and how presumptive it was.
After all, you wouldn’t want to say to someone I think I'll pass on the salad and soup and have some of yours:-). At our advancing age, Cecile and I have finally become “woke” parents in this politically correct world and are more sensitive about what we say or do:-)
All kidding aside, we are so happy to be able to celebrate special family events. In the Middle Ages, people had 150 days of the year for rest, feast, holidays and other celebratory events. They worked hard but the cycles of work and play followed a steady rhythm. These days most people can’t afford to take off half the year to participate in family traditions, but back in the day when the kids were young and we were working long hours, thanks to Cecile, we always found time to establish small, regular rituals that gave us and our children fun things to look forward to. We have continued to do so and for this, we are eternally grateful.
Happy Birthday, Jason. You’re the best. We love you.
