Today is my forty-first birthday. I'm fine with my age -- though forty was tough for many reasons -- and I'm fine with where I am in my life right now. Like so many people, though, I find that my heart really isn't into the day so much. There are such high expectations for one's one-day-per-year, that I find myself feeling a little like I should be doing something more, to really live it up and fulfill those hard-to-escape ideals. (And to give you a giggle, below is a great illustration of that by Jim Gaffigan. I sent this video last night to my amazing big brother Mark, who ALSO has a birthday today! Fun, no?)
I can't believe I have to do laundry on my birthday.
So I thought about what I would want if I could have anything or do anything for my big momentous day. And all that I could come up with was this: I would like every single person to watch the much-talked-about movie Earthlings. And then watch Forks over Knives.
Which is a tall order. There are a lot of people in the world.
So I guess for now I'd settle for the people I know. You have to start somewhere, right?
Last summer, a well-known person in the world of animal rights lost her dear vegan friend during a routine surgery. Many of his friends honored him by going vegan for a month. It was an amazing tribute to his memory and to the animals whose welfare he cared so much about. And yet I wonder why we don't pay tribute to each other while we're still alive? I've been asking myself this a lot lately. I wonder if there are things I could do or say now to the people I love, rather than waiting for their death to lament unsaid words or actions. I find myself lacking on this front and have resolved to change it.
Meanwhile, I'm just going to gently blow my birthday wish out into the air right now .... There it goes! Kind of a blueish color with bits of glittery stuff in it, because who can resist glitter? (I know you think you're all grown up, but we were all in second grade once.) And now it's growing and spreading in a friendly and hopeful way. And each person that is touched by it gets a sort of inexplicable happy feeling surge in their toes and a desire to watch one or both of those movies. And who knows what might happen then?
Stranger things have happened.
Anyway, that's the best wish I can imagine for now.
So thanks for reading. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go fold laundry.
Trailer (no gore) for Earthlings
Trailer for Forks over Knives
