Article published August 09, 2009
Birthday is time for thought
Waking up to thunder and lightning on your birthday could be considered a bad omen. But rainy days are good thinking days, and on a birthday only good thoughts are the order of the day, beginning with your horoscope.
"Born today, you are keenly in touch with what makes you tick and this gives you the edge in almost every endeavor." That was my day's prediction according to the planets, and I am still thinking about it.
Birthdays are personal holidays and the higher the score in years, the more reasons there are to celebrate. I should know. The years may take an adverse toll, but they also add memories, new friends, and optimism along with challenges. People who say their birthday is just another day are skirting the truth because it is the 24 hours in the year that is theirs. It's nice to be remembered by others, but sans cards and greetings, the anniversary of our birth is the right time to recollect.
Even the steaming bowl of oatmeal at 7 a.m. figured into the celebration and may have a bearing on what makes me tick. It was breakfast every day growing up and on mornings when the last two spoonfuls were hard to get down I can still hear mother hollering from the back porch as I sped out of sight down the hill on the way to school. "Mary, you didn't finish your oatmeal."
Maybe eating oatmeal and walking two miles to school as a child has something to do with my good health today.
Thankfulness in the golden years is wrapped in small packages and includes such gifts as having been brought up with wholesome foods that nurtured the lifeline. Daily intake of a hot breakfast, fruits, vegetables, homemade soups, and stews were just the way it was long before nutrition findings and labeling, supplements, and fast food were added to our culture.The annual birthday call from cousin Joyce in Florida proved how healthful eating takes new angles as we get older. Five weeks apart in age, we decided to try some of the protein energy drinks on days we skip lunch or are extremely tired. I bought a six-pack of one brand on the market and she is trying another. In a future call we can compare products and results.
I have often wished that my German ancestors had taken the train from Ellis Island in New York City more miles west or south to a more exciting place, like San Francisco or New Orleans. But the Bauer great-grandparents only had enough money for a train ticket to Adrian where farmland was available and where they established roots that are growing in third and fourth generations.
If you don't fly the flag, wear a patriotic pin, and stand for the national anthem, remembering immigrant ancestors who came to this country will tweak your patriotism. Remember, these folks didn't travel on a 747 to a new country. And they didn't have a credit card to buy their wardrobes or passage. All of the stories that are recorded about my ancestors from Wales, Ireland, England, and Germany are of hard work, sacrifice, and disappointments. On this birthday in my lovely home, with air conditioning, two cars in the yard, a refrigerator and cupboards filled with food, clothes spilling from closets, and writing on one of three computers, I should be thankful they came to America, the land of opportunity.
Shakespeare said "I count myself in nothing else so happy as in remembering my good friends." My friends were put to the test this year when I asked that donations be made to animal shelters instead of personal gifts that have to be dusted or don't fit. More than 200 pounds of food were given in my name to shelters here and on the West Coast. A Toledo friend said she had a hard time convincing shelter personnel where she made the contribution that I wasn't deceased. Not yet, friends.
As they say, looking forward to another birthday.
Mary Alice Powell is a retired Blade food editor.
Contact her at: mpowell@theblade.com
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