Monday, April 02, 2018

And so it's here:

the dawn of my eternal darkness ... the wrinkles in my time ... the hips that creak and the ears that hair and the jowls that droop and go dry ... the show tunes that go flat and the exclamation points that reproduce unchecked and the blush of eternal youth that circles precariously toward the drain ...

It's the month of my 50th birthday.

And here's what I want for my birthday present: Nothing. Less than nothing, actually; I'd really love to have some impartial eyes help me go through the mountains of stuff I have and decide what all I should give to someone who needs it more than I do.

But if you really want to buy something to commemorate my half century, please do this: Buy something for someone who really needs it.

We're all just one degree away from a kid who can't afford school lunches, a person who needs a mattress pad and fresh sheets to cover a bare mattress, or a family who needs a new refrigerator. So I ask for my 50th birthday that you look around you to find a person or a situation in need of financial help you can provide ... or maybe volunteer help you can offer like babysitting in an emergency or painting a room or taking an ill family member to the doctor ... or maybe professional help you can give pro bono like writing a resume and cover letter or fixing an unreliable car or helping a struggling family organize its finances and set up long-term investments.

You decide if it's something you should buy or do quietly or if perhaps you should discuss it in a way that might inspire other people to follow your lead. No matter what you decide, you'll be giving me and someone I don't even know a truly meaningful way to help me celebrate my 50th birthday. And that means more than I could ever thank you for.

#HowToTurn50

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