BIRTHDAY WEEK WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Birthday Week is not a request, you just take it:

You: This is my birthday week.

Them: Really? Your mother had that long of  labor?

You: More or less.

Them: If that’s the case I’d have a birthday hour.

As we know, things are different for everybody, yet we do share common bonds, a birthday among them.

Even when someone acts like they just crawled out from under a rock, they still have their day.

For married people that special day comes with expectations just short of drinking from the fountain of youth.

This one is tricky.

How many times have you seen someone mistake wine for the fountain of youth and carry on like a teenager after a few glasses?

If that’s a goal for birthday week, you’re on the right blog.

Yesterday was a big birthday in the house and we celebrated like it was 1989.

Back then we were young parents finding our way on the parent trail.

Success on this journey is making a commitment to be a parent, a great parent, and not some mope carrying the burden of parenthood like it was a mistake. (Even if it was.)

Worse yet are the committed parents who change their mind and act like, ‘Whose kid?’

No matter how it goes, your kid is your kid and you can’t talk your way out of it or pretend your way out of it.

You are the mom, or dad, and that kid needs more than you can give?

They always need more, so you give more. Besides, what you give them, your time, takes nothing from you.

It just feels that way because you’re not used to tapping into your reserves.

And yes, you do have reserves you knew nothing about until now.

 

Baby Boomer Birthday Week

“Life is a journey.”

You’ve heard it, I’ve heard it, and it makes more sense when we’re closer to end than the beginning.

If some old man, or some old woman, says they want a birthday week, I say go big or go home.

Why not a birthday month, rookie? Come on, step up.

Birthday year? Let’s not get carried away.

I’ve been on the lookout for what to give the woman who has everything.

(Guys, don’t go with ‘she has me, what else could she want?’ We all think it, but let’s keep it to ourselves.)

Yesterday my wife and I joined in party prep for a July 4th party as a gift of giving.

It was a perfect fit for potlatch in the Northwest.

 

While the practice and formality of the (potlatch) ceremony differed among First Nations, it was commonly held on the occasion of important social events, such as marriages, births and funerals.

A great Potlatch might last for several days and would involve feasting, spirit dances, singing and theatrical demonstrations.

 

Once you get started it’s hard to stop.

We cleaned up the street in front of our house (it was our tree’s droppings and it’s a mess), walked the dog, worked out, got a sauna, cooled off, and set out for the birthday evening.

 

Who Knew We’d Be Going To China?

I like to say you meet two kinds of people in life:

One is like peeling an onion layer by layer of thin skin to find more and more.

The other is like peeling a banana, a couple of moves and that’s it, which is great if you like bananas.

I like onions and bananas.

Last night was a combination of both with dinner for six you won’t find anywhere in the Portland metro area. (Hey Phyllis)

We parked up against the hedge of our pals’ house in Beaverton, a wonderful home with the sort of character you won’t find anywhere on the local market.

It’s for sale and every visit feels like a going away party, but every dinner feels Michelin Star worthy.

Last night was a Two Star complete with a birthday cake. (I lived up to my big-gut status with two pieces.)

 

 

Then we set sail for China. All aboard.

The two other men had been partners in designing and building communities in China south of Shanghai. (Hey Barry, hey Don)

The more we talked the more intrigued I got thinking of a thousand questions, but keeping a lid on them to enjoy the evening instead of turning it into an interview.

Besides, not everything is a blog post??? (Ha, ha, ha.Yes it is. )

Today I googled planned cities, engineered cities, trial cities, and smart cities and each search turned up even more interesting information.

 

Shanghai’s European-style ghost towns – in pictures.

And here we go again, zooming in on the handful of ghost towns in a massive city of 23 million otherwise bursting at the seams.

 

Top 10 Smart Cities in China.

With China being the world’s most populous nation, tackling the impending pressures of urbanization is especially crucial. And they’re betting big on smart cities to alleviate them.

How Chinese are China’s planned Cities?

There is no contradiction between tradition and modernity. Such a contradiction would, in return, contradict the Chinese cultural aim of harmony, of reconciling opposites, of Yin and Yang.

 

Can you go to Beaverton and land in Shanghai?

You can on Birthday Week.

And there’s no security check-in.