Birthday Wishing Light

We began the celebration of my 70th birthday auspiciously this morning with a six-mile run to Fort Macon and back.  It had been raining earlier and I had done my morning Tai Chi under cover of the condo, right below our balcony.  But by 10:00 a.m. or so it had stopped raining.  Conditions called for a long sleeved shirt, however, so I pulled out my 2011 Boston Marathon shirt, this being an appropriate day to remember my past accomplishments and to look forward to many more.

We returned to the condo for lunch - black bean burgers and kale salad - but we realized we did not have an avocado to make guacamole; I just had to have guacamole on my birthday!  So I decided to drive the short distance down the road to the Food Lion; on the way, the sky literally opened up, pouring heavy rain.  It is always especially nice to have completed a run just in the nick of time!

After lunch, I opened the gifts that had appeared on the counter yesterday.  All of the packages contained books, and thoughtful choices, too - Martha knows me well! - except for the last gift bag, in which I found a "Wishing Light," a paper lantern.  It proved to be hilarious!  Martha knows (as I said, she knows me well) how much I enjoy poorly-translated instructions from another language, and the instructions for assembling and releasing the Wishing Light were a classic, so much so that I posted them in full on Facebook along with my thanks for all the birthday greetings that had been posted:

Wishing light operating instructions

1:After the distribution of fuel to packaging equipment Kong Cross wire in the side of the field again deduction presses The fuel-pressure lock firmly.

2:A person wishing a light take up a Top; Another person fuel ignited the four angle.

3:Wait for that the heat enough light, lantern person lest loose A top, band changes grips under the light to encircle, Has when the lifting force may let go releases for flying.

4:Xu Yuan light rose slowly the sky, do not forget Wishing oh………

Notice item:

1:Should choose at the option open, calm environment released for flight. No fire ban in areas   the tall building the floor, and so on have covers under the thing to release for flight, must leave outside the airport 10 kilometers from flying.

2:Xu Yuan light can only be used for the distribution the special-purpose of fuel, prohibited by any burning Replace.

3:Xu Yuan light are on the rise, that of the flying, cannot the long time not put, and the Flight not to be append the foreign body.

4:Children must be under the custody of the adults use.

Declaration: Xu Yuan light for the fire flying, because of environmental ingredient such as improper use of security incidents caused by the release of the commitment.  Production enterprises, vendors, transport operation, without any responsibility. You use both, then you understand and accept on behalf of the declaration.

I especially love Operating Instruction No. 4, which sounds like a Haiku:

Xu Yuan light rose 

slowly the sky, do not forget 

Wishing oh………

Martha disclosed the hitherto secret restaurant where she will be taking me for dinner an hour from now - The Island Grill, here in Atlantic Beach.  Recommended to us by Martha's aunt, we have eaten there in past years and thoroughly enjoyed it.

So this has been a good birthday for me.  I only feel one day older than yesterday, after all!  The lyrics to that old Simon and Garfunkel song, "Old Friends," still meanders through my mind from time to time:

Can you imagine us years from today,
Sharing a park bench quietly
How terribly strange to be seventy.

But Martha keeps insisting that I don't look like I'm seventy.  And I certainly don't feel like I'm seventy.  And I ran six miles this morning, after all, rather than sitting on a park bench.  So I am thankful for Martha's love and support, for the greetings from friends and family, and for this wonderful life.  And for the wishes that I will one day soon let rise into the sky, "Wishing Oh........."