🎂Happy 52nd Birthday to me!

(No birthday suit, just birthday gratitude.)

 

Damn. I had no idea I would live this long.

I probably would have stayed out of the sun more.

And learned to type.

And not quit piano lessons after 6 months.

Other than those things, I’m pretty damn happy with this life.

• I’m grateful for this body — I can’t believe it works so well considering how poorly I’ve treated it at times.

• I’m grateful for my mind — even though it tends to run the show too often.

• I’m grateful I was born in a time before screens. I spent most my youth playing outside. I remember when we got Pong for Xmas.

• I’m grateful I was raised with naïve idealism — filled with hope for America and humanity.

• I’m grateful I was born before cable or streaming or VCR’s. If you missed “The A-Team,” you missed it. 

• I’m grateful I got to travel Europe before the Internet. I was gone for 4 months and called home once. If the train didn’t leave for 6 hours, I read books or visited a tea house.

• I’m grateful I was shown the Internet early and got to ride a magical, sparsely populated information superhighway towards Utopia.

• I’m grateful I got to be a digital explorer and try things that had never been done before.

• I’m grateful for Burning Man — whose Principles and community touched all aspects of my life.

• I’m grateful I was exposed to psychedelics, Alan Watts, and Jacob Glass (Who taught me about A Course in Miracles, Eckart Tolle, & Byron Katie).

• I’m grateful I got to overlap my Grandpa Caleb’s final chapter and absorb so much of his wisdom and gratitude.

• I’m grateful for the inspiring role-modeling of my father.

• I’m grateful for the all-encompassing love given me by my mother.

• I’m grateful for the soul-deep companionship of my brilliant brother.

• I’m grateful for my friends. So much laughter. So much growth. So much celebration!

• I’m grateful for Asher who has shown me a piece of my heart that I’d never seen.

• I’m grateful for the digital connections over the years who have made my life felt filled with love.

• I’m grateful for my trauma and struggles — Without which this human classroom would never be as rich or rewarding.

• I’m grateful knowing this life is finite, but my spirit is not. So I can appreciate the precious moments, and know that no matter what, all is good.

• I’m grateful for my gratitude practice, and everyone who has shared gratitude with me.

• I’m grateful for another year. 
  Thank you for being a part of it.
   I love you.

-John
p.s. Here are a couple videos from my recent “follow the signs” road trip to Mammoth.