Journal: 11/27/05

Yesterday I spent my 64th birthday in as perfect a way as I could have planned. First, in the early morning, around 5:00 am, I sat quietly under the soft light of my lamp and read and wrote for about an hour. For me, there is no happier way to start a day. With the darkness of the coming morning outside and peaceful silence inside, I read some inspiring pages and wrote a few imperfect but heartening paragraphs. Later, after a wonderful breakfast of oatmeal (with raisins and pears) and steaming coffee, I spent a few ideal hours at school getting organized for the coming week. It’s hard for many people to understand, but this is precisely the way I love to spend my Saturday mornings. I feel like an artist planning a major painting, or a football coach strategizing for some important up-coming games. All alone in my classroom on my birthday, I rejoiced to have this time to prepare to be the best teacher I can possibly be. In the afternoon, I did another all-time favorite activity of mine: I watched a football game with one of my sons. The day was gray and frosty outside, but inside Matt and I had our friendship and the thrill of a fine game. I sat in the comfy chair and couldn’t help but think, in between plays, about the comfortableness of my life – and the utter rightness of this marvelous birthday.