Post Biirthday Blues

Staring at all of the birthday wishes on my computer screen ... I'm incredibly thankful.

Sarah got an early jump posting a sweet love note to me on Facebook and a slew of friends jumped on it with their own birthday wishes.

Other friends took time to send wishes and comments on my Facebook page and it was great to hear from many I haven't talked with in a long time.

There were several messages on LinkedIn and my friend Rick Smith actually send on an old fashion e-mail.

Going completely over the top, Sarah also presented me with an actual birthday card with a message SHE HAD WRITTEN with a pen!

Judy O burst into The Breakfast Club and gave me a birthday hug which led the team that works there to scream "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" repeatedly at the top of their lungs.

Sarah gave me more than a hug later in the morning.

Each of my kids called and we shared great conversations.

Two of Sarah's girls called to sing me "Happy Birthday" and the other messaged a bunch of happy faces then quickly moved on to lobbying me to take them to Florida.

I worked part of the day ... meaning I looked for work because things are slow right now.

We have renters who relocated to another state without telling us and that cannibalized part of my special day.

I did get a birthday nap, snuggled beside Sarah, which is a wonderful gift.

We went out for dinner and afterwards sat in "our" swing on the beach but it was too windy so we left to listen to Sam Adams play damn good live music on the island.

As soon as we entered, God told Sam to stop playing in the middle of a song to hug us and talk for a while which was nice and we enjoyed each other as friends do, though God told Sam to tell me it's time for me do something in Bar Church again.

Back home again, Sarah and I watched a movie while birthday wishes buzzed on my phone then it was time for bed.

Now I've reread each and every wish, watched the cute videos people linked, listened to the voice mails, replied to the personal messages while touching the card Sarah gave me.

I find myself with the post Birthday blues.

It's not centered on being older ... I'm a kid at heart!

And it's not that I lack in much, because I don't, though I fret about how to keep it all.

But there's a restlessness ... a boredom that's crept inside ... that's leaving me melancholy on a lovely sun drenched morning kissed with a delightful ocean breeze.

It happens after most birthdays ... and with some regularity throughout the year ... a question haunts ... the fire in my belly burns ... in spite of everything I've done and I've done a lot ... the only thing matters is what's next?

Thank you everyone.

A burst of life!

"Aren't you going to have breakfast Hun?" the older woman in the white shirt with the "Fairfield Inn and Suites" logo asks as I sip coffee from a Styrofoam cup staring intensely at my Netbook.

"Jaynce" is printed on her nametag.

"No," I reply smiling at her smile, "I'm waiting on my wife and the girls."

"Awe, that's sweet," she says floating to the next table of overnight stayers asking, "Are you enjoying your breakfast?"

It's hotel food ... pans of scrambled eggs, pork sausage, gravy and biscuits, tiny pastries, boiled eggs and a self-service waffle maker.

I've been at a thousand of them, and you probably have too, but Jaynce made this one feel like my grandmother is hovering over making certain everyone's happy, pleased and full.

She magically transforms a bland, pseudo-meal into a breakfast and almost pulls of making a room full of strangers a ... family.

Darting around speaking to everyone, she refills the coffee urns, restocks the pastries and cleans up the spills from the waffle make ... all the while dripping delightfulness.

"She's so nice," I think to myself, "in all my travels I've never seen a server at a hotel work such magic."

She's older ... has a husband she mentions ... my guess is they retired to Florida and the money ran out and she takes "Speed" to dart around like this.

"No, I got it baby," she tells her supervisor who's come to check on the woefully overcrowded room.

Ignoring my Netbook, I'm completely mesmerized.

Shifting my attention to my fellow overnight stayers, they look like sleepy hotel guests sipping coffee, eating pastries and making a mess at the waffle station ... EXCEPT ... when Jaynce asks them if they're enjoying themselves ... what they're doing today ... and if they need anything?

Suddenly bursting into life ... they're all smiles, full of vigor and ready to tell their story.

It's almost like church.

I wonder why more aren't like her?

She truly seems to be enjoying the moment.

No doubt her feet will hurt when she gets home to her husband and she'll be tired of talking.

I image them fixing drinks and sitting there until they're ready to talk about the day they had, the money made, the crazy or wonderful things that happened or look for other jobs.

I am inspired by her and will lobby that Fairfield Inn and Suites give her a huge ass raise.

The hotel was nice.

She was incredible.