Birthday Stuff

Two ways I wanted to celebrate my birthday were 1) listen to a live blues band (my favorite music) and 2) spend time with at least one friend. I did both. A few weeks ago I searched for local places that might have blues bands on my birthday weekend and found one in nearby Baltimore. I had never heard of the band, checked their web site and decided they might be fun. Then I asked a couple of old friends who live in Baltimore to join me and one was available.

The band was great, even better than expected. I can’t believe I had never heard of them before. The bar was insanely crowded, however, so we didn’t say all that long. My friend does event promotion consulting and knows many people in the restaurant business so she suggested a couple of other places for us to haunt. We met some other friends of hers at one of them and we all had a great time.

Something I forgot about Baltimore is how neighborhood-focused that town is and how many neighborhood bars and restaurants there are there. Some have been around for decades, like the one with the blues band, and other are relatively new, like our last stop. I had not been in either of the two neighborhoods we visited in more than twenty years, yet I still knew my way around. Some things never change.

One thing I have done for the past ten years or more is to reconnect with friends and family from my past. That kind of connection gives me perspective on my life, reinforces my need for an anchor and to some degree for purpose. I also like to see how people’s lives turned out, what directions their lives have taken since I last spent time with them.

Another interesting thing about this birthday is the quantity of well wishes I got on face book. I feel the love and it’s a great feeling.

Gifts, well wishes, texts, fun time with an old friend and live blues … I definitely had a happy birthday.