Another year spins by...

Birthdays have always been low-key in my life, since childhood. Just family. A favorite meal that my mom made, by request. A visit to the nearby temple, if possible. No parties, no hoopla. And, it didn't fall on the same day in the Gregorian calendar each year...

Papa decided to indulge the birthday girl lady woman femme with a made-from-scratch Wicked Good Boston Cream Pie, his eager daughter serving as sous-chef.

A few weeks ago, I was casually grilled by the little girl about my favorite things to do, favorite things to eat, favorite place to go to for fun. And was asked to jot down a list of these favorites.

Of course, I skewed the answers a bit to make it kid-friendly/family-friendly, knowing that moments like these are few when I have the opportunity to strengthen the family bond, even if I'd much rather go for a run by myself, read a book quietly in my room curled up in bed with a cup of hot chai, contemplate on this gift of life, try to identify my purpose and dedicate some time towards realizing it... 

And, am glad I skewed the answers, because first on my list of Favorite Things To Do was 'Go for a hike with my family'.  Despite the relentless drip from the sky, we donned our rain coats and boots and hiked up the Black-tail Deer Trail, with Papa regaling us with tales from Roman history and mythology - starting from Romulus and Remus, all the way to Augustus Octavius Caesar, not in strictly chronological order.

A lovely scented candle. Fresh flowers. Plus a game that Ana made and insisted we play several rounds of right away. Those were the 'surprise presents'. I love the 4 Origami frogs that were the play pieces so the four of us could play together. Roll the dice, or as in our case, pick a number out of a container (1 to 5 only). The deceptively few steps in the game takes forever to finish thanks to all the Go Back To Start and Lose A Turn... Charades were the toughest for me, not being good at it at all.

Since I didn't have a favorite food per se, inspite of being a foodie, nor did I have a favorite place to go to for fun, I hesitantly inked in John's Incredible Pizza as I knew Ana was longing to go there. Since we've been there exactly once so far, it seemed a reasonable excursion, worth the expenditure, especially since Papa convinced me that he has this 50% off coupon valid for that day.

And when we trooped back home that evening after a full day that started with an invigorating hike, I think the kids enjoyed the day as much as I enjoyed watching them enjoy the day in their own way.

Simplicity being the mantra, cultivating it through a quiet life with meaningful pursuits, celebrating the everyday moments and the gift of just being, about 350 days go by in a year where we seem to 'do nothing'; and therefore, those handful of other days seem all the more essential to give us perspective...

Of course, the next day found me examining my limitations through a microscope, resolving to become a better person, more giving and smiling and laughing and joyful, trying to do the best I can with what I've been given...