Monday, April 18, 2011

If 38 Is All I'm Given

I'd have been;

1. A daughter

2. A sister

3. A friend

4. A mother

5. A nurse

6. A nomad

I'd have lived;

7. In a big house

8. A one room cabin in the woods

9. A farm

10.  A van

11. Canada

I'd have travelled;

12. Hither

13. Thither

14. Across this country

15. And back again

16. Twice

I'd have dipped my toes;

17. In the Atlantic

18. Pacific

19. The Baltic Sea

I'd have stood;

20. Alone

21. In a crowd

22. On the Eiffel Tower

I'd have jumped;

23. Out of a plane

24. At sunset

I'd have landed;

25. In a pasture

I'd have spoken;

26 In anger

27. In love

28. With my hands

I'd have witnessed;

29. Birth gone wrong

30. Death gone right

31. Miracles

I'd have lost;

32. Everything

I'd have gained

33. More than I'd lost

I'd have learned;

34. To keep learning

35. To be more

36. By doing less

37. To be quiet

38. To listen

39 comments:

  1. beautiful post...happy birthday!

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  2. what a great tribute to youself- you didn't add blogger and you are so too that.

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  3. Very groovy post. This is awesome.

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  4. Really really great! Especially 17 thru 19 and 29 thru 33. Love those the most.

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  5. Oooh, this post sent shivers down my spine! I likey!

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  6. Gorgeous post. Happy Birthday! (although, um, I kinda misread Hither as Hitler and was like, she traveled with HITLER? I really need to learn how to read one of these days).

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  7. Happy Birthday.

    If I had the means, I would totallt gift you one of the Avett Brothers. Rawr.

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  8. You have definitely had a full life thus far. Happy birthday.

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  9. Love, love, love this. You have truly lived.
    Happy Birthday! We're close in age; my 38th is next month.

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  10. Happy Birthday! (And my 38th is next month, too. Weird...)

    I love your #11, btw. You make it sound so exotic...haha!

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  11. Happy Birthday Lovely.

    This may be one of my favs. I hope you have 38 more, at the very least.

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  12. Happy Birthday, my sweet friend. I am so glad that I have gotten to know you.

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  13. Happy happy. xoxo

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  14. Great post! You truly have enjoyed your life to it's fullest. I envy you, wish I could do such things in my life before I happen to reach 40 or so. Happy Birthday and wishing you many more years of fun and great experiences in life to come. Cheers!

    Sell WoW Account

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  15. Happy birthday, baby!!

    You are fucking awesome. So awesome.

    And, yes, I'll take just one of those beards, please!!

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  16. Happy Birthday. Nice to recap the years that way.

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  17. Happy birthday, Tulpen!

    Didn't know you had skydived . . . that's incredibly high on my list. And I'd love to know about living in a single-room cabin in the woods. A very real part of me thinks that would be heaven.

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  18. Great Post

    and Happy Birthday
    you are a Rock Star


    that is all

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  19. I love everything about this post.

    Cheers to beard-burying!

    (That doesn't sound quite right, but happy day to you anyway.)

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  20. ABSOLUTELY to the core.

    True, and real, and raw.

    If you sang, you would be Fergie.

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  21. This was a great post, but a part of me is just really thrilled that you are a few months older than I am. Even with all of your wisdom and life experience I thought you were younger from thew few pictures I've seen. If that sounds like a backhanded birthday compliment, I didn't mean it that way. I adore you up, down, and sideways.

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  22. Happiest belated my friend!! Consider it an early wish for next year ;)

    You forgot teacher, because I have learned to be a better person thanks to your words. I guess that would make you a writer, too.

    You're going to stop visiting me, aren't you?

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  23. What a fabulous list. Happy 38 to you.

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  24. You're awesome.

    Happy belated birthday!

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  25. Happy happy birthday! And many (many) more.

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  26. Hither and Thither. You've lived. Happy Belated to you!

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  27. Happy Belated Birthday! I love your birthday cuz it was my little sweetie's due date. Now I will forever hold a grudge that she was one day late and couldn't share her bday with you. Plus I really like even numbers. The 19th? Blech.

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  28. Not a big beard fan...but awesome post! :)
    Happy happy happy birthday!

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  29. Sure it's your face you wanna bury?

    Very crass very belated very very happy birthday.

    So glad you're here

    So glad I know you

    So many xo's

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  30. OK. So that was NOT my 9 yr old making oral s@x jokes

    I am now appropriately signed in

    xo

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  31. Happy Birthday. I love this.

    I'm still working on the be quiet business. But, at 36 I have learned that hair can grow out of my nose. Not the nostril part. The actual nose.

    I love getting old.

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