I remember a day trip two years ago that started a bit grumpy but cheered up quickly on a boat ride to Porquerolles when the excitement of a vacation started.
We walked all over the island but there are still plenty of unexplored spots waiting.
We took in spectacular sights as we went and you were smiling. And I believe, delighted.
We paused on the edge of a calanque and looked down on a gull’s giant shadow run along the cliffs while the winter green of Alep pines glistened sharply in the sun.
We strolled around a tethered windmill who told me he yearned for the days when canvas stretched across his paddles and the wind caught them like sails. He sang then…
“Because work is good” you said softly.
We stood in shared silence looking for the birds whose songs rang and tweeted from nearby bushes or trees.
We discovered a hide by unexpected marshes and you pointed out waterfowl and birds quietly going about their day.
We spied cormorants drying their wings on the flat tops of parasol pines.
We ate in the shade of eucalyptus and plane trees edging the village square, watching white doves sweep the dirt in random flights and landings.
We walked soberly among the graves of islanders past and wondered about the missing generation buried far away from home somewhere along the Somme in the days of slaughter.
L’âge n’est que l’ombre des jours vécus à plein poumons, l’étrange habitude de chasser l’infini en comptant les pas perdus. Mais la vie se dessine parmi les aurores et les crépuscules, parmi les clairs de lune et les étoiles, dans les stries des rochers qui brillent et les eaux bleues qui chuchotent. Souviens toi.
Today then, feeling like I have known you forever, I applaud your life, your victories, your successes, your kindnesses, all the beauty and magic that has lit your path and will continue to do so, I am sure, since “every day is an adventure” as you say with a smile.
And we know that dreams do come true in serendipitous ways.
Happy Birthday my friend.
unbuttoned or undone 
This, my friend, is beautiful
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Thank you Noel. I am glad you enjoyed.
You may not know this, but after 39 it seems to me that yearly time markers are not that useful. It feels too much like a countdown. If we kept a tally of all the points of light, all the smiles, the genuinely happy, glorious, exhilarating moments we actually live,we would be happier.
So to me, a birthday is an excuse to say “The intersecting moments of our lives have been full of light, thank you. Life has more of it and love and surprises coming; keep smiling”
Hugs my friend
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It came to me sooner before I was 30. I recall my younger days, there was never a special celebration to mark the yearly growth.
It has been great to make your acquaintance.
Hugs my friend and may you live to see many more days
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I knew you were a wise man…. as well as a wise guy! 😉
It’s a pleasure to know you too, and I plan to hang around for a while longer. I am not done dreaming!
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You are too generous with your praise dear.
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Boats trips (almost) always signal fun ahead.
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*Boat, not boats 😦
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Tripped up, hey John?;-)
Yes you are right, The minute I’m on a boat, I feel like I’m on a vacation, and the mind eases into a different kind of wave.
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Pingback: The perfectly timed reblog; vive la France: Boat Trip | themodernidiot
This could not be a more apt post to read today. Birthdays used to be about reaching a destination, but at 44 I now think of each one as a rebirth. I start over every year, so. Today I’m wish for a global restart
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Capital idea that global restart!
Thank you for the reblog that definitely brightened my day. 🙂
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Merci, cherie
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Je veux te dire la meme chose. 🙂
Merci.
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Birthdays…, just another day on the calendar, nothing notable or special about them. I quit counting them when I reached 39. I’ve been 39 for years now, but then, what’s in a number. I still feel like 25 !!!!! Beautiful post, Emm. I truly enjoyed it…, right to the last word ! 🙂
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I’m glad you enjoyed it Paul.
And you’re right, about the numbers!
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In my usual snoopy dancing hyperbole of life, I must say, Em; I’ve never read a happy birthday wish that would top this one. Maybe I should read more, but I don’t think I want to find any more meaning than this wonderful tribute to a special day. The clarity of those moments, so wonderful in expression, always stop my noisy head elves and force them into a quiet reflection. I like them better in those quiet moments.
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Thank you Dan for all that praise! It was one of many magic days.
I kind of like seeing those head elves of yours scratching their beards, tilting their heads, rubbing their nose, taking a breath and looking at a far away place that felt so good. Very rewarding for a dreamer, I must tell you.
Thanks you for the visual (elves and a snoopy dance) 🙂
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We dreamers understand. Thank you, Em 😊
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