Lotsa birds. Lotsa years!
On this day in 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth. It also happened to be the very day on which I was born! How about that?! I’ve not been into space, though have been known to be spacey sometimes. 
Of course, I don’t remember that event, but I do remember my mother telling me that the nurses at the hospital wanted her to name me John Glenn Lester. Hmmm, somehow, that just doesn’t feel right. LOL!
So now, 47 years have passed. I’ve remember lots of historical events. I have a vague recollection of Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination. I remember the nuclear weapons drills that we had to do in elementary school. The bell would ring and we’d have to go to the halls, face the lockers, lie down on the floor, and shield our faces with our hands. Very effective, no?
Some years later, I remember my first computer that I got in 1980, or so. It was a TRS-80 (The Radio Shack), and it had a whopping 4K of RAM. That’s where I learned my first programming language, BASIC. I remember the Jimmy Carter error, I mean era, and the alternating days that you could buy gasoline. I remember the destruction of the Berlin Wall, the birth of the Internet (yes, kiddos, there was a time when we wrote letters, made phone calls, and had film cameras!), the bursting of the Internet Bubble, Watergate, the Star Wars phenomenon, Mount Saint Helen’s and a lot more.
In the grand scheme of things, 47 years does not even equate to a drop in the proverbial bucket of time, but it has been an interesting ride thus far.
All in all, it’s best to make the best of every day, every moment. It’s best to let go of the hurts of the past and enjoy the present, after all, as they say, the present is a gift. We don’t know what tomorrow will hold, nor even if our name will be included on tomorrow’s roll call.
So, Happy Birthday to me! Enjoy your day!
No related posts.
18 Responses to “47! Already?”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Happy Birthday John, er I mean Paul! Hope it is a great one!
Happy Birthday. I hope there are many more.
Happy Birthday! Is there some significance that the photo is of the ummmm….rear of all those birds?
Besides, you’re a young man–I was in the third grade in ’62.
@Earl: LOL! Hmmm, the birds just happened to be warming their collective rears in the sun. I guess that they had chilly bottoms. However, maybe there is some psychological sub-context.
Happy birthday to you! My best wishes, especially a bit less of travelling hardship or at least as a substitute the willpower and equanimity to persevere in high spirits.
Re. the birds: my association were early birds of spring, better suitable for a birthday…
Happy Birthday!
47. Hmm. I think you are a young whippersnapper.
Happy Birthday, young fellow! Paul B. has it right. You are just a kid.
I hope your name is on the roll call for many happy years to come.
Paul, hope you have a great day!
happy birthday, oldster
[...] a side note for today, I wish Paul Lester the best as he celebrates his [...]
Hi Paul,
Happy birthday! And all the best from a frozen Sweden on the other side of this mudball!
Maybe you should start thinking about the 20th of Feb. in 3 years, huh?
Thomas
Well Paul, we share a birthday month…mine is the 28th and shhhhhh don’t tell anyone but I am just a child of 46 on this next birthday.
Happy Birthday to you!
Nice that it falls on a weekend this year–you can have a birthday dinner back in Charlotte. Or will it be Chick-Fil-A enroute again?
Well, at least buy yourself an ice cream afterward if it is the latter.
Happy Birthday!
@Eric: Thanks! My wife made a simple, but wonderful tasting dinner for me. It was delicious and beat the heck out of anything that I’ve every had at Chick-Fil-A!
@Laurie: Well, I’ll be certain to drop by and wish you a most happy birthday on the 28th! Tis but a week away, youngin’!
Belated birthday greetings… obviously I shouldn’t skip days viewing your blog.
Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Happy Birthday Paul!
I loved reading your memoir …
Happy Belated Birthday, youngster! I hope your birthday weekend is filled with fun — and that the coming year brings you much joy, prosperity, and proud photographic accomplishments!
Happy B’day Paul!
On your next b’day go on world tour. Orbit earth by sea/road/air