A Happy Day

Some days are just happy. Today is one of them. I woke up from a nice sleep. I did my floor exercises full of energy; in fact I did more repetitions than usual. I came downstairs to breakfast to find my wife sitting up in the breakfast room on the lounge chair wearing lovely satin pajamas reading the paper. She look so pretty and content. I ate the fruit dish she had prepared for me. It was delicious. I dressed and went out to brunch with an old friend from Canada. The restaurant was pretty. The customers and wait staff all behaved civilly. My old friend and I ate vegan food; which I rarely do. It was healthy and delicious. I even had a chocolate desert, which I even less rarely do. I said goodbye to me friend, started to return home. The weather was beautiful; a gorgeous Southern California day. I pulled over to the side of the road. I called my daughter to tell her that her father was happy; not to worry about him getting old; and what she could do about making my life easier. I told her she was today free to worry about all the other problems she had in her world: the mutual worries all we all share about work, family, self. Exclude her father from her list of worries today. "Papa was happy." She put her daughter on the phone. She made me even happier. She said, "I miss you so much, Grandpa." She started singing one of our favorite shared songs: "I love you, a bushel and a peck, a bushed and a peck and a barrel and a heap..." We spoke to each other about her upcoming visit: she was coming out to visit me and Grammy in California in three weeks. We mutually promised to count off every day until then: "Twenty more days, nineteen more days..." We concluded the talk with and mutual "I love you" and said "Bye." I smiled contentedly as I closed the cell phone. I completed the drive home. I took a route that avoided any beach congestion. Traffic moved smoothly. I pulled the car up to the house. I decided to visit our neighbors across the street, to see how they were doing. They always come over to see how I am doing. They postponed their walk and invited me in. We watched the news to see if the world was going to end at 3 PM, as predicted by a particular religious group. It didn't. We then talked of how long we've known each other, over thirty years. We talked about life and death, and how to deal best with both. I crossed the street, entered my house. I called a friend with whom I had had a rancorous, brief verbal tiff a few days ago (all my fault). He told me he was still hurt, but he kindly accepted my apology, I promised to improve. We agreed to move forward. The sun was still shining; the light cool breeze was still blowing in the neighborhood. I called my wife (who was at the hair salon) to tell her I was happy. Then I sat at the computer to write this blog. Days like this make living worthwhile. "Carpe Diem," as my neighbor had earlier said.

[You won't believe this...just as I finished writing this bog...but before I could hit the "PUBLISH POST" box...my computer crashed! Did I panic? No. Did I curse all technology? No. Did I threaten to smash the computer? No. I decided to see if I had lost this posting, while immediately and forlornly wondering if I had the desire or ability to write this blog a second time if it had been lost? Could I re-capture its essence. I calmly, and with hope, closed the computer, then opened it again, went to my blog site, and, lo and behold, there, in the 'Draft; section. my original blog! I told you: this is a happy day.]