As I start my 49th year on this planet, I have to say that I lead a very charmed life. To celebrate my birthday yesterday, I was able to introduce my parents to Bob’s Train, one of Sarasota’s little hidden treasures, for a great lunch. In the evening, we held our Second Annual Lion’s Roar Party to celebrate all of the Leos in our Novus House community.
Although I’ve not always been great at nurturing interpersonal relationships, I do have a certain number of friends that keep on coming back, and it was a joy to be able to celebrate with them. John and Gabby Hoover brought their PA system, and myself and my other musical friends were able to play and be heard before providing us with an incredible set of their mandolin and guitar melodies. Roger, the owner of the Novus House has a great 2 and 1/2 acre spread out east of I-75, which provided a tranquil backdrop amid old growth oak trees, brimming with ferns and dripping with moss. And, of course, the pool and hot tub combo is always delicious.
Speaking of which, we had a great variety of food that people brought, including the “cherry surprise” I made with Suriname cherries from the front yard and eggs from our chickens in the backyard. The surprise was that I dropped a spoon into the mix and it got baked into the desert. Nevertheless, it tasted great just like all of the other food.
As far as spiritual food goes, this year, I’ve decided to go through A Course In Miracles. This first lesson says “Nothing I see in this room[on this street, from this window, in this place] means anything.”
As I am pondering it, I am walking around Pinecraft Park, taking in the beauty and splendor of nature. While I am surrounded by this wonderful hammock of life today, and was surrounded by people who love me yesterday, that does not mean anything. Although I am attempting to map out the next year of my life, none of my visions really mean anything either. I believe that it was Joseph Campbell who said that life has no meaning; you bring the meaning to it.
I am grateful that I have found myself in a state where I am given so many wonderful opportunities to live such a charmed life, whether it has any meaning or not. But this year, the miracle I hope to perform is to make my life mean something. Yet even if I cannot find any meaning in it, I know that I can at least offer up more beauty and wonder.
