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A Truly Happy Birthday

By September 18, 2015April 26th, 2018No Comments

Today is my birthday (September 18). My father used to say, “When you’re past fifty and nothing new hurts when you wake up, it’s a good day.” Nothing new hurt this morning, which means it will be a good day. Heck, every day is a good day in one way or another, although sometimes I have to search to find it. I usually need only a few seconds. You see, I am a happy person; it’s my nature to be positive. Yes, things hurt, and almost every day it’s something new. My philosophy, though, is that everything is temporary, and pain is too; at least it has been for me, thank goodness. I do know people who live with chronic pain, and I have sympathy for them, but I am determined that all my pains will be temporary.

Another philosophy of mine that gets me through many a difficult situation is that “If money can fix it, it isn’t a problem.” Yes, my air conditioner, furnace, stove, fridge, computer, or you name it always dies at the worst possible moment and sometimes puts me in a financial bind, but money can fix the problem, so soon it is not a problem at all. In contrast, the loss of one’s health or one’s loved one is a loss nothing can fix. I’ve lost many a loved one, but here I am, surviving every loss and setback

I know it sounds odd, but an acquaintance of mine once broke off our friendship because of my positive attitude. Her last comment to me was that I was not being honest or authentic, because I was always happy. She was a therapist who listened to problems all day long, and she often vented her own problems to me over lunch or dinner. Her “problems” involved disliking the color of the paint on her walls, resenting that her daughter’s mother-in-law got to see their grandchild more often than she did, faults she saw in the men she was dating or not dating, issues with her body image, and more. I watched her buy house after house, moving from place to place, trying to find her happiness, but of course nothing worked. Instead she complained. Eventually she complained about me. She said that if I were authentic, I would tell her what was wrong with my life.

Wrong with my life? I could find nothing wrong. I have followed a career path that I love. I have loving siblings and relatives and a few dear close friends. I live alone and love my privacy, yet I have experienced true love. Neither of my marriages worked for long, but good things came from both, including a handsome, intelligent son who practices veterinary medicine near D.C. and is married to a woman I love as if she were my own daughter.

I have accomplished almost all my goals. When I was in high school, for example, I knew that I wanted to write for a living, and eventually I wanted to write a book that would live on after me. In the 1960s I did not know the subject of the book or how I would get it published, but I have now written several books, sold one to a traditional publisher, and self-published others. The ones about creative writing go a long way toward helping fellow writers, and helping others makes me feel even better about achieving that goal.

When I was in my twenties and a young mother, I longed to travel. I used to say that I wanted to see Venice before it sank and the Grand Canyon before it filled back in. Now I have been to both places—Venice twice and the Grand Canyon three times.

Today I have traveled the world, but I have not yet seen it all. In fact my sister and I have planned two big trips for 2016 together. In the spring we are going to take a ten-day river cruise and see the Netherlands and Belgium during tulip time. In the summer we will tour through the Canadian Rockies together for another ten days.

I look back over my accomplishments and realize I would be impressed by someone who has achieved all that I have. I have been self-supporting for most of my life. I started my own business, Zebra Communications, and it has supported me since 1992. I bought a house all by myself without knowing what my income was going to be from my then-new business, yet I paid off the mortgage in sixteen years. I found someone to customize my brand-new Honda and turn it into a zebra car, and I drove that sweet automobile that I called Zebadiah for twenty-four wonderful years.

I find my work fascinating, as if I solve an interesting puzzle every time I tackle a manuscript, and best of all, my work helps fellow writers. I get to speak at conferences and meetings for writers, again helping them on their path.

Recalling when our family used to bowl together when we kids were young, I talked my brother and sister into bowling together, once we all landed back in the same area for the first time as adults. For some fifteen years or more, now, we have bowled together at least once a week and sometimes twice a week, enjoying love, laughter, and lunch, too.

I feel fulfilled. I smile often, even when I’m alone.

Oh, and about nine years ago I rescued a parakeet that landed on my deck starving and shivering. Today a plump and healthy Bruce Bird sings delightful tunes in my home every day. Shortly after rescuing Bruce Bird, I took in a dog that had been in the wrong home, and today he is a loving companion who adores being cuddled.

Most recently I’ve been writing my relationship memoirs, because my encounters with the opposite sex have been funny, odd, unusual, sometimes sexy, but always plentiful. Although my book proposal has met with a few rejections, I learn something with each one. The latest said there may not be a market for my book. Hm. How do you find out if there is a market for a book? You start a blog and see if people want to read what you have to say. A couple of weeks ago I started a blog with the working title of my book, Neurotica. See www.NeuroticaStories.blogspot.com, and I hope you will sign up to follow that blog to see more stories when I post them.

Many people have read my new Neurotica blog entries and said they love my stories, and I have dozens more to write. The encounters in the blog may not appear in the book, because the book covers relationships with more depth, but if people like my stories, they will buy the book. Yes, there is a market, and I will prove it. If no publisher wants to invest in my newest book, I will self-publish it. I am a writer, and I will not be daunted or thwarted.

I have food, shelter, warmth, love, something interesting to do, and something to look forward to. Yes, happy birthday to me.

Happy every day to me!

Bobbie Christmas

Editor Bobbie Christmas is your book doctor. She can also be your mentor, ghostwriter, copywriter, and writing and publishing consultant. After spending decades writing and editing for a living, Bobbie became a much-sought-after seminar and workshop leader. She began Zebra Communications in 1992 in Atlanta, Georgia, to provide professional editing services to publishers and to writers like you.

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