Rant #2,328: 88 Candles

Today is my mother's birthday.

She is 88 years old.

No, she is not 25 years old anymore, but you would not know that by her verve, her zest, and her ability to move around so much that she puts most millennials to shame.

My mother is perpetual motion personified.

There is no other way to describe it.

And you would never guess that she is even in her 80s if you saw her.

Maybe in her 70s, but no way would you even dare to believe that she is in her late 80s.

Look, you have to have good genes, and take care of yourself, to reach such an age, but you also have to have it in your brain that you still have things to do, and all of this keeps you going.

My mother has plenty of things to do, so why leave the party before you are finished enjoying yourself?

Today is a good example.

Her day is full, as she is playing mah jongg today, a game she has been playing for more than 50 years.

She continues to play once a week with similarly aged women in a local diner.

I mean, why should she leave when she has this weekly game to attend, and the next mah jongg game is just a few hours away?

During the rest of the week, my mother will be doing a variety of activities, including shopping, going to the doctor, shopping, speaking on the phone to friends, shopping, doodling on her tablet computer, shopping, getting my father to do things, shopping, and reading.

I think you get the idea.

Her schedule is so full that she barely has time to ... well, fill in the blank yourself.

Yes, that is really how busy she is.

This coming Saturday, the entire brood will be celebrating her birthday at a local restaurant, and that should be fun.

And I just bought her a printer for her computer--yes, she has both a tablet and a desktop computer--and she will hopefully learn how to print something from the desktop computer. She has wanted one forever, and now, she finally has the printer of her dreams (I hope).

It took her forever to learn how to forward an email to me, and now, we/she has this next challenge, and I am sure within time, she will learn how to use the printer.

Add that to her already full list of things to do, and you can't wonder why my mother stays so young.

She just has so much on her plate, and it isn't all food.

So, I wish my mother a happy birthday, and many, many more.

She and my dad are the bedrocks of our little family, the two people we can really count on to get the job done, even if it is vacuuming at 4 a.m. in the morning (which my mother used to do but happily, does not do anymore).

Again, happy birthday, have many many more birthdays, and hopefully, you can win today at mah jongg.

My mom is a winner even if she loses everything at mah jongg today.

Crack, bam (and no, these are not terms from the "Batman" TV show; anybody who knows maj jongg knows what they mean)!