A bad day turned good

Sorry, but this is a serious blog entry . . . you may want to skip this one!

Last week I had my 60th birthday. Up to this point a birthday was really just another day. But for this one, things were different. 59 years old doesn't sound all that old to me . . . but 60 . . . well . . . that is old! I guess about three weeks before my birthday I really started thinking about this and all the implications!

So when my birthday arrived I was ready to play the game, "This birthday is nothing but another birthday." But it wasn't.

Things started out normally . . . a fairly significant problem at work to figure out. But mid-morning they got me out of my office . . . and surprised me with a special birthday celebration, complete will all the normal embarrassments associated with a birthday with a zero! Connie and the whole office crew were in on it! Since we normally celebrate birthdays as a group, I knew this was special for me. Really made me feel good inside!



Then, after a little while I headed to the Y for my normal noon run with my Y running buddies. When I got to my locker I realized this was NOT going to be a normal day at the Y! My locker had a big RIP marker hanging on it. I had brought all black running cloths for the day, figuring that no one would "get it" . . . but it was my attempt at a person slam!

But soon it was obviously . . . everyone was wearing black! All black!

Got outside and saw my best friend, Andy Barker, wearing a "Grim Reaper" outfit and they had a old runner / photographer (Allen Hinnant!) there to take pictures. Plus there were a bunch of my running buddies that normally don't run with us at lunch (Ron Fleming, Richard Wilson, Arthur Bennett, Ursula Forrester and Amber Poole), plus most of the "normal" Nooner (Brad Weisner, Joe Bunn, Carol Dickens, Kevin Boudreau, Michael Forrester, Scott Wingfield, Dave Lavely, Timmy Tucker, Eric Pate).

Everyone stayed behind me . . .especially the Grim Reaper!



We all laughed the whole run.

Those two things totally made my day. Turned a "tough" day into one of my best ever!

Thank you friends!