“Happy Birthday Larry!” That’s been the major theme of the last three days for me. Due to APEC meetings and world leaders from 21 countries coming to Sydney, Friday was declared a state holiday. There were so many security measures put in place that half the Sydney population wouldn’t be able to get to work and many more would need twice the time and be subject to random searches if they ventured out (ok, not quite that bad, but you get the point…The last time APEC was hosted by Canada was before the attack on the trade center on Sept 11, and we had to pull troops out of Afghanistan to cover the requirements of military presence around the “Remote location” chosen for the meetings; so you can imagine the level of security after Sept 11 and in the heart of a major harbour city).
So what does that have to do with my birthday? Having a holiday provided a whole day to celebrate, so I did. Between three different groups of people suggesting various – and partially overlapping – ideas, I had to co-ordinate my time with my friends. I ended up going for breakfast with some, having some over for games and movies in the afternoon, and going out with some in the evening. Some friends were present at two of the three activities. Doing all this on Friday was great but also created some confusion because people assumed my birthday was Friday. Well, on Saturday, I went out after church with a few more people and was treated to another rousing rendition of the classic song and another chocolate cake. This time they had the date right. Now on Sunday, I’ve been blessed by a few more. It’s been great.
I was debating for the last week if I’d set anything up for my birthday – as is the custom around here; and decided that some of the people I would invite would set something up anyways if I didn’t, so I left it to them and they didn’t disappoint. They did have some help as I sent out a text message to a few people and updated my status on facebook to beg for attention. Then, adding to my efforts and all the confusion was an effort someone else made to make sure I wouldn’t be forgotten. Some people found out via email about this day and made sure they passed it on to others. The only problem is that in addition to the confusion from my Friday activities, some of them were told my birthday was Sunday. Oops. Whoever would have thought that my own sister – the one who basically figures any man she dates has to consider me his best friend before she’ll marry the guy – would forget my birthday? So it’s ended up being a birthweekend instead of a birthday. That’s ok sis, I won’t tell too many people who it was… And I’ll do what I can to make sure I remember the correct date for your birthday on February 6th. ;)
On to a different note, I ran the other day! Ok, it was only 5 steps (4 too many), and normally, they would hardly be called running, but for someone who recently damaged his knee and everything around it, spent two weeks on crutches, still doesn’t have the full range of motion in his knee, can’t sit with his leg in one position for more than 10 minutes, and is working at building strength back to normal, it’s a pretty big deal. Running isn’t really an option yet, but apparently cycling is really good for healing and strengthening knees so I’ve been doing quite a lot of that. The other day I got on my bike and started driving. I got to a point I thought would be a good halfway mark and turned around for the return trip – only to realize I was now going uphill and against wind! It was great! “Don’t push yourself to hard” kept resounding in my head and I kept saying “I don’t care! I’m sick of this problem and I’m doing everything I can to fix it!” After arriving home, I checked a map and found I had just put on 15 km. Many people wouldn’t do this in full health so I felt pretty good that I could do it with a bad knee. The amazing thing is that I wasn’t sore from the bike ride! It’s been raining a lot since then and I’ve been really busy, so I haven’t been able to do as much, but I did 10 km on the exercise bike yesterday. I’m hoping for good weather tomorrow so I can do the real thing again. It’s kind of like the whole Coke/Pepsi debate... why would I use an exercise bike when a real bike down a great trail is an option? Just like I could drink a Pepsi or I could go with the real thing. The copy-cat does something, but it’s just not the same.
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2 comments:
Sure Larry, the only reason you didn’t name me is because you knew I’d have to defend myself and tell everyone the REAL story.
You got a few details wrong in your blog entry. First of all, I would never consider marrying someone who called you his best friend - Not trying to insult you, but I would have to hold that place in his heart;) And second, I didn’t forget your birthday, nor did I tell anyone your birthday was on Sunday. I just accidentally mentioned in one email (only 1 out of 3 I might add) that it was the 9th instead of the 8th. But hey, that’s easy to do! Just look at your computer keyboard, and you’ll notice that the “8” is very close to the “9” – A simple typing error, and you’ve got the wrong date for a birthday.
Actually, I almost hesitate to call it a mistake. Maybe more like “Divine providence”. After all, since you were already getting the word out about your own birthday, how else would you have ever found out that someone else was also trying to make Sept. 8th (see, got it right again) a special day for you? So by hitting one wrong key on my keyboard, you were made aware that someone back home cared enough to remember your birthday. And what would have been one short day of birthday celebrations turned into a memorable weekend.
Your welcome, Bro :]
Oh, and about the Coke/Pepsi comparison with your bike ride…Coke or Pepsi; “the real thing” or a copy-cat – too much of either isn’t good for you. So, what’s that line you’ve been saying? “Don’t push yourself too hard!” Glad to hear you’re doing so well though.
And that Sept. 9th was a good day for you ;)
BR
Happy Belated Birtday.. sorry I missed it.
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