Like the old song says, it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to. The good news: I don’t want to cry. I turn 44 this week, and I consider myself not another year older, but another year better. While I surely have my flaws, one has never been lack of gratitude. I am thankful, all day every day. As this birthday comes and goes, here are a few of the reasons for my thanks, in no particular order, from the sublime not to the ridiculous, but, well, the less essential:
Butterfly rolls at Shipley’s — I guess anything with that much butter and sugar has got to be good, but I am suspicious they have a secret ingredient.
Various potions and elixirs by Estee Lauder and Lancome — I always loved them, but as some of you might understand, they become more important as time goes on.
My favorite fragrance — Some years ago I discovered the Bond No. 9 series. Every one is intoxicating, but the Nuits de Noho is sublime.
Cocktails, anyone? — A really cold cosmopolitan martini with just enough cranberry juice, not too much, is a joy anywhere, but nowhere more than the bar at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in New Orleans where I will return on my birthday to sip.
Let’s face the music — My favorite crooner by far is Diana Krall, and we have followed her to several venues over the years, this week the stately Saenger Theater in New Orleans.
Life — God and my parents gave it to me, and while there have been many false starts, I like to think I have done a few things to honor their gift.
Trunk Bay — Years ago I swam in the waters of Saint John among the coral alive with multi-colored fish, and it started to rain gently. It was a moment in time I hope to repeat.
Love — No man is more blessed with family and friends to love and be loved by. Never think that I take even one of you for granted.
Hope — I never wake up in the morning focused on what won’t happen. I focus on what might happen, if I let it, and almost without exception, I am rewarded before sundown.
Brick streets — My new home looks out over the red brick streets of downtown Vicksburg, and I find myself a witness to history. The stately home of my new neighbors even had a cannon ball to assail its gate during the Civil War, yet the gate still stands.
Finally and truly, I am thankful for this column which has allowed me to make so many new friends from every corner of the state and beyond. Thanks for the notes and stories you share with me. It is an honor and a joy to share your lives in this small way, and my birthday wish is that I get to keep doing it!
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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