12-27 and 58

A White Russian in Chicago / 2008

"How does it feel to be 58?" my mom asked.
"Pretty weird," I answered.

58. Fifty-eight. Cincuenta y ocho. No matter how I write it or say it in my head, it's weird to look at it and hear it. But with another birthday in the bank, it's time to get used to it: 59 is only 364 days away.

Actually, I think I'll remember this birthday more than most others. Why? Two things, I suppose. One that brought me face-to-face with a reminder of our mortality. And, two, a celebration here at home that underscored the centrality of family in my life.

The first moment came when I visited a friend in the hospital, a fellow member of the Broken Taco Shells bowling team who's three years younger than me. Late last week, he was in an exercise class when he started to feel some tightness in his chest. He left class to gather himself and after a short rest intended to drive about a mile back to his home. Instead, he trusted his instincts and drove himself to a hospital. Turned out he had 85 percent blockage in his arteries and wound up undergoing a quadruple bypass surgery. He's an exercise buff and eats well, for the most part, so he's recovering quickly and is scheduled to go home today. His positive attitude was great to see and it was nice to spend time with him. But, still, it was a shock to hear of his ordeal and a reminder to never take my good health for granted. Here's to a quick and complete recovery!

The second moment came during the evening, when I found myself once again sitting down to a delicious meal prepared by my wife and two of our kids and consuming it in the warmth of the glow from our faux fireplace. It felt like a cocoon, being there with Lori, Nathan, Simone and their partners Sara and Kyndall, enjoying wine, food, presents and phone calls from my parents and sisters. (Would have been nice to have Jordan and Jamie, too, but they couldn't break away from Olympia.) Throw in six dozen birthday wishes on Facebook from friends and relatives and you can see why I might have felt overwhelmed by people's kindness.

As I set off to go to work this morning, I realize yet again how blessed I am to live this life.