Yesterday
was my 70th birthday (born on January 27, 1944).
To
help me celebrate my brother Bob and wife Linda traveled from north
Georgia to have lunch with me in Saint Petersburg. It was a little
awkward for at the moment I am contagious for cold miseries—which I
wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. They declined to come into my house
or to drive to the restaurant in the same car with me—even our embraces
were gingerly. Luckily, there were seats outside the restaurant (the
weather was moderate) and as no one else was sitting there, I could
cough to my heart's content. We had a fun visit and topped it off
with surprise homemade coconut pie (made by the local restaurant) and finished with a stirring rendition of Happy Birthday.
I received much support for both my sickness and my birthday
throughout the day—receiving cards, letters, and phone calls from
nieces, nephews, in-laws, and friends. My friends Veronica and
Negille even brought over a container of chicken soup.
My
doctor gave me a big birthday present too. First he prescribed an
antibiotic for my lung condition, an inhaler, and....an order not to
return to work for 7 days. Now, I have tons of sick time at work and
will be retiring Friday of next week. Sick time is much more
valuable if actually used. While one can receive a percentage of
accumulated sick time as cash on retirement, it is a very small
percentage. The doctor gifted me with salvation from the anxiety and
guilt that accompanies a going-back-to-work decision while suffering
from a serious cold. The questions are always “Is now the time to
return to work—is it too early, am I still contagious, what if I
have a relapse?” With a stroke of the pen Dr. Brady removed all
such ethical dilemmas.
In sum, I had an adventurous 70th birthday completely redeemed
from boredom. Often in life it seems that downsides have a saving—even endearing—upside. So what if my 70th birthday was
accompanied by a big chill?—the warmth of human kindness turned out
to be the dominant theme.
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