“As each sun rises, it is your choice to wait for some special day to celebrate, or to celebrate that each day is special.”
The morning is a delight, a bit chilly, but it is April after all, early spring here on Cape Cod. The sky is brilliantly blue. Yesterday’s clouds have disappeared. Nothing is moving though there had been a wind warning earlier. The sun is shining so brightly I could barely see when I went to get the paper. It is one of my favorite sorts of mornings.
Some days are exciting by their very natures. Today is a holiday in Massachusetts, a big day around here, an amazing day filled with tradition. First and foremost it is Patriot’s Day which commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord, fought near Boston in 1775. The festivities of the day started with a reenactment of the battle. We love and celebrate our history here. It is also Marathon Monday. The race has already started. The male wheel chair athletes were first. The winner has already crossed the finish line. The Red Sox start at eleven, an odd time, but scheduled so the fans can walk to the finish line of the marathon after the game to cheer on the runners. Today is a wonderful day to be in Boston.
When I was a kid, I loved the parades, the ones on special days. My town had one on Memorial Day. I was so excited to march in my first one when I was seven. I marched with my brownie troop and in my brownie uniform. When I was older, I marched with the drill team. We usually had a barbecue, the first of the season, after the parade. I still go to watch my local Memorial Day parade.
I think birthdays are sacrosanct. We get to celebrate our own special days. This summer I will invite my friends to celebrate with me at a barbecue. It is a special birthday, a milestone birthday. I won’t have a cake. I’ll have a lemon meringue pie. It is tradition for me.
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April 18, 2022 at 1:28 pm
Warm and nice weather the entire easter here but I’v had a tiresome cold so I’ve mostly taking naps. Nights can still be a bit chilly here but it feels like it’s finally turning 🙂 It’s a holiday here too so many are now driving home after being away and they all seems to stress a lot so lots of car crashes I’m afraid. Less cranes by the lake now but we have a nesting couple just 150 yards away and they are surprisingly loud so any predator knows where they are 🙂 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
April 18, 2022 at 5:48 pm
Hi Christer,
Yesterday, at least, was sunny. Today has ended up cloudy and cold. Spring teases us around here. It comes and goes. The nights get down to the 40’s, but the wind always makes it feel colder.
People travel more around here at Christmas and Thanksgiving. Easter doesn’t seem to have all that much traffic. I used to go out to dinner but haven’t the last two years. I like not getting dressed up and staying home.
Have a wonderful evening!
April 18, 2022 at 4:55 pm
Hi Kat,
Another clear, cool day with a stiff breeze and a high temperature of 76°.
The Boston Marathon is a classic race and was unfortunately brought to national attention by a cowardly terrorist attack a few years ago.
Parades are always fun. In my old neighborhood in far north Dallas, Memorial Day and Fourth of July were celebrated with the neighborhood parade. All the kids rode their bicycles and tricycles to the community pool club led by the local fire station fire engine ringing his bell and siren. The pool club served snow cones for everyone. By Memorial Day, May 30th. we will have high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s.
When you get to our age every day is special and should be celebrated. 🙂 The average lifetime is only 4,000 weeks. That’s about the average lifespan for a male in the United States, 76.9 years. I just turned 75 and that doesn’t leave too many additional weeks on average. 🙂 I’m planning on beating the average.
April 18, 2022 at 5:24 pm
I agree that our age all birthdays should be special. I turned 75 April 1. My dad died at 74, so every day is an additional gift.
April 18, 2022 at 6:10 pm
What day in April is your birthday? Mine is the 12th. Happy Birthday.
April 18, 2022 at 6:13 pm
Happy Belated birthday to you, Bob!
April 18, 2022 at 6:11 pm
Bill,
My Dad died when he was 66. That I didn’t have him near long enough still hurts.
People who say things like at their ages they don’t celebrate birthdays do have it wrong. We need to celebrate every birthday.
April 18, 2022 at 6:09 pm
Hi Bob,
Today is another chilly and cloudy day, a typical spring near the ocean.
The Boston Marathon was well-known before the bombing. That was why it was chosen. It gets national attention and runners from all over the world. Both winners today came from Kenya. It was the 126th Boston Marathon.
I also love local parades. Our Memorial Day parade is about 15 or 20 minutes long, but people still line the route. My sister won the doll carriage parade one July 4th when she was little. They had decorated bicycle and decorated carriage parades back then.
I agree that each day is special, but I like to think my birthday is the most special day of them all, a day celebrating me in the same way yours celebrates you!
April 18, 2022 at 6:16 pm
Yes, the Boston Marathon was famous before the bombing. However, it was given a national spotlight that it probably didn’t want. Although I don’t follow track and field events, many of the long distance runners are from Kenya and the sprinters are from the Caribbean Islands. It makes sense, on an island you don’t have a lot of distance to runaway. On a continent you need longer distances to stay alive from your enemies. 🙂
April 18, 2022 at 6:32 pm
It has been in the national spotlight as a premier racing event, a road to the Olympics. You are right, though, that it became an even bigger story the year of the bombing.
I don’t think the Kenyans aren’t running from their enemies. They are running from poverty hoping to win races and purses. The racing culture is strong in Kenya. Most of the marathon runners come from towns around 8,000 feet so running at lower levels is easy. Kids aspire to win as they grow up in villages where winners have trained. It motivates them to run.
People have tried to figure out exactly why Kenyan runners are so successful. “Running with the Kenyans” is a book with the subtitle, Discovering the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth.
April 18, 2022 at 7:00 pm
I was kidding about sprinting on an island and distance running on a continent.
April 18, 2022 at 7:29 pm
I figured!