Reflections on my 53rd Birthday

On this morning of January 4, 2023, which marks the 53rd anniversary of my birth here in California, I am reflecting on the path forward in the coming year, for myself and for the beloved freedom movement I have joined myself to and even helped in some small way to define and grow.

It is a mixed bag, being born in the wee days of the year, when everyone is recovering from the holidays, it’s cold and rainy out, and most people are trying to just figure out how to make the coming year better than the last. Almost everyone forgets (mostly) about your birthday when you are born in early January, it’s just the way it is. But on the flip side, this is the time of year when we are stuck inside, when we must again embrace ‘beginner’s mind’ and get creative with our time. We have New Years’ resolutions to attend to, as well as (hopefully) new opportunities and interests to pursue in the coming year, along with their attendant strategies and interim goals, if we are planning in earnest. I really like that I am doing this birthday reflection/rebirth at a time when lots of other people are too.

Another downside to an early January birthday is the sparsity of available activities to engage in. Aside from skiing/boarding, what do people do for fun in January? I often have no idea what I want to do on my birthday aside from being with people I love. Mostly it ends up fun, but I must say, it always requires creativity. And I like that. My life seems to be defined by challenges that spur and define growth.

This year, providentially, the Freedom Angels scheduled a rally at the capitol in Sacramento to kick off a new year of grassroots lobbying and activism, to regroup as a vanguard of freedom, and to again let our elected officials know we are here to stay and we will never back down from our values or from holding them accountable for their actions. Perfect start to a 53rd birthday.

Yesterday the news drifted in that there would be a class 5 rainstorm (apparently that’s a thing now) coming in for the balance of today, and the implication was that it would be better to remain inside. I prepared myself to stay in for the day.

I got up this morning, and lo and behold, the weather radar showed a big hiatus from the rain for the hours of the rally and lobbying! Well, my oh my. Upon further reflection, I realized that OF COURSE the Freedom Angels scheduled the event ‘Rain or Shine’! Those women are hardcore, and they’ve faced a lot worse than a tropical storm in putting themselves between our children and the harms of tyranny. I need to take a page from their book this year. NY resolution #538: No backing down ever: Be serious, be professional, treat it like a job.

So now I’m off to our State’s Capitol this morning, and I am happy to say that I can’t think of a place I’d rather be on my birthday this year, or people I’d rather be be with. And what’s beautiful is that I have a lot to learn from them, today and onward. Beginners Mind. I pledge to get better at this stuff, to go pro along with the pros already among us. It’s a great day to be alive.