It Can't Be 38 Years!

I was 20 and she was a teenager when we met. We played Spades that night - she won. The next night, a Sunday, I invited her to a gathering at her parents house. It took a couple of years, but we married in 1969. She hitched her wagon to mine in a very real sense. She quit her schooling so we could finish mine. What we didn't fully understand was what a partnership it was to be. I would lead our family where she pointed us to go. My career would be our focus our project our frustration our joy, actually, our career. And that would be true through all the careers. Our house, and they have been many. Our girls, and they have been sweet blessings. Our friends, all of whose names she would patiently reminded me. Our family, never "my family vs your family." Our God - always with us and yet never near enough.

It can't be merely 38 years. It has to have been since we were babies. Surely we were born together. Surely there wasn't a time when I didn't have her at my side. If there were how did I make it? If there were from whence came my joy? If there were what gave me purpose?

It can't have already been thirty-eight years! We just met a short time ago. We're not old enough to have been together that long. 38-year marriages are for old people. Why, if you've been married that long then it's more than half over and that can't be. We've got too much to do. Places to go we haven't been. There's Egypt and Panama and Switzerland and China. Memories to make we haven't made. There's Samuel's graduation and Jeremiah's wedding. 38 years already - no, I don't believe it.

I asked her, the other day, to marry me. She said (as she always does ), "I can't. I'm already married." Now how sweet is that?!?! Then she started talking about how great her husband is. After hearing her describe him, I couldn't blame her for saying "No." I'm glad she has him. I hope she keeps turning me down and keeps him.

August 23, 1969 - an ordinary day to an uninformed world. The beginning of an extra ordinary adventure for this old man. I wish the whole thing - from then to now - had been video taped so I could watch it all again. In real time, no fast-forwarding, no muting - only pausing and, maybe a little re-winding and slow motion. Yeah! Slow motion, that would be good.

I love my wife.

He Was Young - And Now He's Old

OK. Last month I turned 60 - on July 18 to be exact. As I have often pointed out, that is actually an expression of location. To say "I'm 60" means that, since the day I exited my mother's womb, I have ridden around the Sun on this muddy dirt ball called "earth"  back to the original place for the 60th time. It's as much a location thing as it is a time thing. Another thought. Since the sun is not really stationary in the universe, but traveling on some trajectory and carrying its orbiting planets along with it, our trips around the sun are not really like traveling round and round the center of a flat plate. They are more like following the spiral of a Slinky. So we never really go back to where we were before.

All of that is some non-normal thinking about what it means to be 60. The easy explanation of what it means to be 60 is "it's been 60 years since you were born." But, what else does it mean? It means your kids are grown. In some cases it means they have kids. It means the morning question "Did you sleep well?" is a question that is actually seeking information. It means, no matter how optimistic you are, you finally realize there are more years behind you than in front of you. It means you relish the idea of being "carded" when you ask for the senior discount (an event which, by the way, would NEVER happen).

I've decided to commemorate the achievement of having traveled 17.53 billion miles thought space.  I plan to do something memorable this year. First, I followed through on standing commitments to myself concerning bicycling. I rode the MS 150. That two day event is a standard part of my year. That commitment has to do with MS and my sister more than my agedness. However, it carried extra agedness meaning this year. You can read more than you want to know about that ride in earlier editions of our blog. It resulted in the worst biking injury I've had, to date, and yet another completed ride and a fairly decent (and brief) DVD, since Marilyn was there to shoot a little footage at the Finish Line. Second, I rode, last month, in the Tour de Goatneck. The Goatneck is a 70 mile ride and satisfies my decision to ride, in miles, an organized ride equal to the number of years I've reached in July of each year. I call it my annual BMR (birth month ride) Since I'm only at 60 years, the Goatneck will satisfy that commitment for at least another decade. The main memorable thing I'm planning this year - my 60th air breathing year - is the G.R.E.A.T. Ride. I will describe that ride below. First, though I need to report on the Goatneck - since I have pictures.

There were six of us who rode, two young men who accompanied me last year, two who are

 committed tot he GREAT Ride later this year, David Park (my son-in-law) and me. The two GREAT Ride riders rode the 41 mile route. The rest of us ride the 70 mile route. It was a "cool" day - high in the mid-eigthies and overcast most of the day. The four long riders stayed together by waiting for each other at the rest stops. Then, we would agree on which stop was to be stopped at next and ride our own pace to that stop. That way we were together, yet free to pedal at our own strength on the course. We finished the course in pretty much the same order as we arrived at most of the Rest Stops. I was second of the four. My average speed for the day was 16.2 mph. I set a new personal best maximum speed of 42.7 mph. Everyone enjoyed to day and the companionship. The Goatneck is a good ride. I enjoy haivn it as my BMR.

The Grande/Red Excursion Across Texas Ride - the GREAT Ride. I've decided to describe this in another post. tune 

A Birthday Gift

I have to post this because it needs to be preserved. Sara, our younger daughter who is living in Mexico, came home so she could have a birthday party here, at home. Shelley, our older daughter and her family, came for the party. So, we had a great family and friends time together. I'll let Sara tell you how old she became on July 26. As for me, I turned 60 on the 18th. Our two daughters had informed me that they were getting a combined gift for me for my 60th. They gave it to me at Sara's party, after Sara had opened her gifts. It was an official team jersey from the Texas A&M Cycling Team. I was blessed to be able to wear it in my annual BMR (birth month ride), the Tour de Goatneck, that very weekend. It was great! I got lots of "gig 'ems" from other riders. I also got remarks that linked my odd bike with being a Aggie. I just relish them all. I know they all stem from either friendliness and camaraderie or jealousy.

Another thing my creative daughters did was wrote a note to accompany the jersey. That's what I'm posting for your reading pleasure. Here it is:

Top Ten Rejected Birthday Gifts for Dad
(no particular order)

1. A New Bike
Rejected because: Who really needs four bikes?

2. A new iPod
Rejected because: Been there, done that . . . Twice!

3. An iTunes gift card
Rejected because: Boring!

4. New Clothes
Rejected because: More Boring!!

5. Naming a Star After You
Rejected because: Although a neat thought, a complete waste of money!

6. A Telescope
Rejected because: We're just not rich enough to buy you one that's good enough.

7. A Tie
Rejected because: You've got to be kidding me!!!

8. New bike Stuff
Rejected because: You're gonna buy that stuff for yourself anyway, so why spend our money?

9. Money for the Great Bathroom Switch [a re-modeling job I've talked about a lot]
Rejected because: We'll save that for Mom's birthday since that would really be her gift.

10. A New Coffee Mug
Rejected because: Who really needs 60 of those?

Know that we thought of a lot of options before landing on this one. Hope you like it better than it's potential predecessors.

We love you!!!

Your brood

One thing of great importance and very worthwhile to know is rejected gift #9. The way I read that we should be getting the funding for the Great Bathroom Switch remodeling job come April - at Marilyn's birthday. I'm really looking forward to that!!

I'm writing something about being 60 that I plan to post, if I ever get it to sound right. Check back here later on in the month.