Thursday, April 12, 2007

Storms on the Horizon

I sat out Spring Road late last night watching the last of yesterday’s storms roll in. There was a tangible electricity to the air as flashes of lightning lit up the dark horizon. Soon, you could hear the far off rumbles of thunder as the storms grew closer until a bright flash of lightning and deafening crack of thunder chased me back into the safe confines of my car.

Much of the country is getting snow and cold weather, old man winter’s last respite before spring. I long ago realized I lived in the Bermuda triangle of winter weather as we get none and when we do, it is a freak happenstance of maybe once a decade. It has been very warm here with our weather moderated by the Gulf of Mexico.

Earlier in the evening, I had gone out to eat with my mother and father the day before my birthday. We arrived home and I was walking out their backdoor as I and my father talked of the weather. He gets just as excited about the weather as I.

“The dew points are really high,” I said as I stood at their backdoor. “The humidity is so thick you feel as if you could cut it with a knife.”

“Stormy weather is on the way,” My father said being a harbinger of the adverse weather that would arrive later that evening. “You can feel it.”

I walked on home with an eye to the sky and settled in for a quiet evening of weather watching.

_____________________________________


It is 3:13am on the 12th of April, 2007. I am now officially 35 years old. I asked myself if I thought I would be where I am at, at this point in my life. I feel so old. The answer was that I am lucky and blessed. I don’t have to work some menial job to support myself. My schizophrenia has been under check lately. I have a new home that is completely paid for. I have a very nice Honda that is paid for. I have no debt. I have plenty of food, drinks, and smokes. I am sober and sometimes days do go by without me obsessing about having a couple of drinks. It will be a good start to what is the 35th year of the life of this simple man. I hope you all have a good day today and thanks for sharing in the past few years of this journey called life.

Andrew

30 comments:

KYRIE said...

!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!!

May all your dreams, ambitions, hopes and aspirations come true in your future.

So I was wondering if your gonna get a birthday cake. Anyway is something special about 3.13 a.m.? Were you born at 3.13 a.m.?

Andrew said...

Kyrie,

My sister's birthday is on the 15th of this month. We are having a joint birthday party and birthday cake.

3:13 was when I was born on the 12th of April of 1972. Have a great day today and thanks for the comment.

Andrew

Nicole, Graeme and Janel said...

Happy birthday Andrew, and may this year be the best of your life so far!!

Summer said...

Happy Birthday! How's the weather there this morning? What are you going to do today?

SimplyTim said...

Happy Birthday, Andrew.

My, so much growth (amidst the blood, sweat and tears) this past year. It'll be interesting to see how it is played this coming year.

Be well, today.

Tim

Terri said...

I'm wishing you a very happy birthday! Mine is just in two more days. April is nice bday month. Hope your day is just fantastic!

Cheryl said...

Happy Birthday to you. May this year find you in the best of places. If wishes could come true, and I know that a lot of us are sending them your way, you wouldn't know what to do with yourself, you'd be so happy.

Annabel said...

Happy Birthday dear friend. You are indeed truly blessed.

kathleen said...

Happy Birthday Andrew! I'm glad today finds you in a good way. A fitting way to start another year. As you make your way throughthis year, you know you'll always find support for your efforts here. Have a great day!

Melanie said...

happy birthday, Andrew. i'll be 34 in 13 more days, myself. i'm happily married, with two daughters, a mortgage and shop rent due every month, my income is half of what it was before i went into business for myself but i'm squeaking by and it gets better all the time, my brain isn't great but i have plans in place to fix that and they are starting to help. i'm not ready to grow old but i take comfort in knowing i've got probably 30 more years at least to get all the things on my To Do List accomplished. it goes faster all the time, though. my older daughter is starting to see that a little bit.

C.A. said...

Happy Birthday, Andrew! I'm wishing you peace and contentment this year. Thank you for sharing your life with us. It's one of my daily joys to check in on your blog and see how youre doing. I feel blessed, because reading about someone else fighting the good fight makes it just a little easier for me to do so, too.

Birthday Hugs....

Cindi Ann

Dorid said...

Happy Birthday, Andrew.

Hope you are enjoying whatever Mother Nature is blowing your way today. When I lived in FL there was nothing I loved so much as to watch the big storms roll in.

hmmmm... I have to laugh a little about you having a joint birthday cake. I've been guilty of doing that myself: celebrating my son's birthday and his twin sister's on the same date. Usually, though, I get two small cakes instead of one large one.

CRUSTYBEEF said...

I hope you had a wonderful day! Remember, age is ONLY a number, it's life's experiences that matter more. And you've proven to the one person that should matter-YOU-that you can and will overcome the worst of times. With a dip of honey in the tart green apples, may this next year provide you with the sweetness and bitterness of life.
Always,
Crusty a 32 year old sahm of three boys.

EE said...

Happy Birthday!!! Have a good one!!
Watch out for Rosa, she might offer up some birthday "nookie" for your present...LOL!

PipeTobacco said...

Sir:

Good birthday wishes to you!

PipeTobacco

Jenn said...

Happy Birthday! I hope you have a safe and healthy year :)

di said...

Happy Birthday!! And many more.....

zirelda said...

Happy Birthday! I brought party favors. :)

Eric Valentine said...

Happy birthday to you Andrew my friend, may peace and contentment stay with you.

claret said...

Happy birthday to you!

STAG said...

What can I say to a guy who has a whole life ahead of him but "Good Luck", and "One day at a time". (My friend is fighting step 4 right now, and I was wondering if I should send him to your blog.)

fatty said...

happy birthday!
i truly wish you all the best.

wstaple said...

Hope you have a great birthday!

Glenda J said...

Thanks for sharing your bday with us. Blessings for another year!

C. R. Morris said...

I hope you have a wonderful birthday and that your 35th year is blessed and full of good things.

Sue said...

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Andrew... Happy birthday to you.

May this year be your best one ever!!!

Sue

Grad007 said...

Happy Birthday from me too!

Dave said...

Happy Birthday, Andrew.

A. J. said...

Happy Birthday Andrew... btw... this would be you 36th year not the 35th. Your 1st year came before your 1st birthday while your 2nd year followed.

AJ

Pues yo said...

Happy Birthday! A little late, but I just found about it!

I love your blog!