My 58th Year

As some of you know, yesterday was my birthday. Like a few birthdays in the past it was in the middle of the week, so I was on the road...with one of my reps...in Arkansas. Not the ideal situation, but probably not the last. It was an okay day. We saw a couple of accounts, then drove an hour and half to Jonesboro, AR. It is fine to spend this kind of time with people you know and love, it is another matter when it is someone you just met, you have to be making an evaluation of how he does his job, and you have to fill in all the other time with small talk. He was not the most annoying person I have ever met, but after a few hours almost anyone will get a little tiresome. I'm sure he feels the same about me. But as a good friend of mine says, "I can hold a bear's head in a snuff box that long."

So we had my birthday dinner at a decent restaurant and called it an early night.
I spoke to all my kids throughout the day, got a birthday song from my two oldest grandkids, and a garbled wish from my third grandchild, got some really nice birthday wishes on Facebook (by the way, what is the proper etiquette? Should I respond to each one, or just do one and hope they see it..maybe I can post some photos, oh wait, probably not a good idea) and spoke to my bride before turning in for the day. The greatest wonder in my life is how many people seem to love me and I can't figure out why.

This morning I was having a nice cup of coffee in the hotel, reading USA Today, and just watching the other guests wander around in the breakfast area. Then I noticed a guy about my age gathering his breakfast and every time he turned his back to me I saw the size tag that manufacturers put on jeans and pants. You know the little adhesive strip that runs down the back of the pant. This guy probably shared some parallel to my life. He was (obviously) wearing new jeans, with casual dress shoes and a tucked in sport shirt. Now I have finally been coerced by my daughters and my bride to buy nice jeans and "younger" shirts to wear untucked. It drives me nuts, but the ladies in my life seem to like it. This guy has succumbed to part of the pressure with the new jeans, but is still tucking his shirt in. So here I sit, sort of snickering about him forgetting to take the tag off the new jeans and then defiantly tucking his shirt in. I wanted to tell him the defiance is futile, I know I've tried.

Then I realized this is my first day of my 58th year. Like the Chinese I have decided to name each year. This next one will be the year of KINDNESS. It is going to be my motto this year to give everyone a break. No more superiority, no more confrontations, no more combat. This is the year that will be full of peace and tranquility, of peace-making. The world will be a better place when I celebrate my birthday in 2013.

So I finished my coffee, enjoyed the internal snickering just a bit longer (it is a new imitative after all) then swung by his table and casually mentioned that he still had the size tag on his jeans. I never even slowed down. As I turned the corner I heard him say, "Thanks" At least it wasn't his zipper or something really embarrassing. I might of had to come up with a different banner for the year. By the way, I did see an airline pilot strolling through O'Hare last week with his fly open. Should've said something, but that was last year.

Godspeed to other travelers. Come travel with me, it will all be kindness for an entire year.
Don