Another Birthday

Another Birthday

I'm acknowledging my 58th birthday, amazing, brings to my mind the cliché, where did the time go; my parents, especially my mother saying I can't believe I have a child who is 58.  In two years I'll be 60, sounds old, but realistically I'm hoping that I still have a lot of veggies left in the bio gas can.

What is more remarkable to me is that this is my sixth straight year, three in India and now three in Nepal, of celebrating overseas.  It would feel really strange however if I wasn't living overseas on my birthday or for that matter most of the year.  Not that I'm putting down any roots, well maybe some, but it would seem strange for me to be going out to a restaurant in the US and having someone bring me a cupcake with a candle in it and the restaurant staff singing happy birthday to another customer who wants a free cupcake. 

I remember my first birthday in New Delhi, I was turning 53 and had been in India for eight months.  I was working at the National Trust with a fairly good size staff.  There was a huge cake with a giant fire cracker like candle in it.  Other staff with October birthdays were also celebrating.  I know that I jumped when the candle started sparking.  I can't entirely remember but I'm sure that besides cake we probably also had gulab jaaman and other food.  The major memory of celebrating birthdays in India was going to the National Trust conference room and being together as a staff and stuffing ourselves with lots of food.  I also remember trying to clean up the plates left behind on the table and staff saying, let the helper do it, as if he/she were the only persons capable of locating a dust bin. 

I don't remember much about birthdays in Nepal, must be short-term memory loss, but I know that I wanted to find those cool, sparkler like candles that I was introduced to in India, some of which I brought to the US.  Unfortunately I just couldn't find any in Nepal.

Most likely I will celebrate my 58th birthday with my "adopted" sons and daughters from Karjanha Village.  We'll probably do this during our library time.  This seems like the most appropriate thing in the world to me, being with children whom I love and even though they don't tell me I also feel so much love from them.  I'll eat my usual meal of mixed veggies and some paneer, rejoice in eating my Marie Gold biscuits, and have a frozen banana, maybe watch a movie.  I'm just thankful for another year of life. 

Help me celebrate by doing something kind for another person today and every day.