Rant #2,133: Bless Me

Today is April 27, the last day leading up to my birthday tomorrow.

The calendar gave me a gift this year, as my 61st birthday falls on a Saturday, a day of rest, not a day I have to spend at the coal mine at work.

So let me reflect on my 61 years on this planet, but do it a day early.

I have to say that with all the negatives going on in my life now, I am a pretty lucky and fortunate person, and that is why the negatives get me down so much, I guess.

Anyway, first things first.

I have my health, which is a true blessing. Sure, I have aches and pains, I am overweight, and my allergies are bad (today too), but when you can get from Point A to Point B with relative ease, I guess that you really are OK.

I have my family, another true blessing. I have been blessed for nearly 25 years with the greatest wife one could have, and I have two relatively good kids, who give me agita but really don't give me any major problems, if you get my drift.

I have my parents, which makes me truly blessed. I am their kid, no matter what my age is, and my kids have two grandparents (my son actually is extremely blessed, as he has three grandparents), and you simply can't beat that.

I have a great extended family, which also is a blessing. My sister and her husband has given me three great nephews, my wife's family is as solid as can be--and I also have another great nephew on that side, too--and I have some others in my extended family--some of whom I have been close to since I came into this world and others who I have rediscovered on Facebook--who help to make my life whole.

After those three things, the blessings don't measure up, but at least I have them.

I have my job, which even though I knock it at every turn--and will continue to, when the situation calls for it--at least I have a place to go every weekday, and I bring home an honest paycheck. As I have said many times, I have been on the other side, and that is a place I don't want anything to do with.

I have my friends, and I do cherish the friendships I have made throughout my life. Sometimes friends come and go, but the friends I have now are of the long-term variety, and no matter what happens, my friends will stick by me like glue. They don't have to agree with me all the time, but they will be there.

I have my interests, which are pretty expansive but encapsulate three of my biggest go-to entities for relaxation, those being television, my love of baseball and basketball, and my record collection, in no particular order. I guess I could add in the very computer I am typing this on, which has added to the fun that I have with these diversions.

I have my backbone, which is really tied into all the things that I am blessed with. By backbone, I don't necessarily mean the actual, physical part of my body, but what I mean is my mind, spirit and beliefs. You can call me right, you can call me wrong, you can agree or disagree with me whenever you like, but I will defend what I say with a passion, so don't think you are going to say something that I disagree with and not get a reaction.

And last but certainly not least, I have my memory, which is really a trait that is often overlooked, but one that allows me to have my memories stored away in the recesses of my brain with the ability to pull them out at any turn. I remember things that are astonishing, and the clarity that I remember them with also is incredible. Memory is not one of the senses, but perhaps it should be. As I get older, my memories have become more acute, which isn't the way it is supposed to be, and it has gotten me in tangles with others, who either don't clearly remember things or simply don't agree with me. So be it, it is my "sixth sense," so to speak, and it is something I cherish. Heck, my first memory stretches back to when I was maybe a year and a half or two years old--being toilet trained and the death of George Reeves--and I remember both so clearly that you would think it all happened yesterday.

So yes, I am really, really blessed. I think my attributes come from lots of sources--really exceptional genes and my environment--and while I never was much of a physical athlete, my mind has always been active. It never rests, and I am always thinking of something. It is never dulled, and it is open to just about anything.

So as I celebrate my birthday, I look at all of these things that I have going for me and I tell myself time and time again that I will make it, I will survive, and I will prosper,

Things sometimes look bleak, but such is life--we all go through down times and great times.

This is my time, and I am not going to let anything stand in my way.

Have a good weekend and I will speak to you again on Monday.