Year number 27 begins today for me. Today has been a fantastic day. I can't recall a birthday when I felt this alive, this optimistic, this open to possibilities. I woke up in a great mood despite excessive tiredness and a freezing house. I made great coffee (chocolate macademia nut). I used my prep well and was very productive. My first class was terrible, but my other five classes more than made up for it. I'm currently teaching a week of history (WWI-WWII), so I'm lecturing for a bit and my classes were really into it, asking questions, following along, etc. Even my remediation class worked. Then my last hour class sang "Happy Birthday" to me and by the time the day ended I felt exhausted but invigorated. Later I went for a walk on the bike trail and the world suddenly opened up. The lake and the trees woke the sleeping optimist within and I felt everything at my fingertips, like everything was in reach again, and I saw mountains and waterways to traverse, and all the stories I've yet to write, and the students I have yet to teach.

And the state of the world scares me. It seems more violence springs up every day in foreign countries and the hate in the world is simmering. Something cataclysmic is coming.

And yet, today, I totally don't care about any of that because I only feel positive energy. Such is the joy of a birthday.