I had a wonderful birthday weekend

Isn’t it interesting how time can mend

I was out of the office, a modern-day sarcophagus

I got to gallivant with my sister-in-law

Eat tacos and talk about our mas and pas

I got to stare out at the ocean and play on monkey bars

Freedom is potion, movement is art

I ran and played disc golf and saw my family

I thank God that my life is so dandy

Today my dog and I went to the beach

But over the whole weekend, you know what brought me the most peace?

It wasn’t the license plate that said, “Retire”

No, it was sitting next to the fire

In my backyard

The night I turned 36

My dog sat next to me and I looked at the sticks

Burning amidst an orange flame

The crickets chirped and I thought about how we’re all the same

My dad’s white hair, my mother’s despair

My brother’s reticence

My husband’s ambivalence

My dog’s allergies

We were all there

I thought about my own inadequacies

But grateful to sit in solitude in the backyard unseen

Grateful for 36, when life is better than my dreams

That blazing fire was but a gentle reminder

That I don’t hold anything

For none of us are connected by strings

A fire will come like in my dreams

Everything will be undone

So I enjoy all these delights while they’re here

My dad, my mom, my brother, my husband, my dog – before they all disappear

Even the crickets too

Under the starlight, a beautiful mix

I thank God for 36