The time has come once again my Tender Lumplings to acknowledge the anniversary of my birth. I didn't, you will notice, say celebrate. I do celebrate my birthday in my own way but I try not to make a big deal of it. I don't want a bunch of fuss and hoopla. On my birthday, as with every other day in the year, I only want to be with my wife and my animals. The main difference being I may get some cake, or pie. Oh, and there are usually some gifts.
I don't get gifts like I did as a kid. Back then there were presents with wrapping and ribbon and all that sort of things and it was great. But as we get older the gifts get less elaborate. Usually there is no fancy wrapping and ribbon. Often there is not even a gift bag. Somebody just hands you something and that is that. And that is fine with me. I don't need all that stuff. Heck I don't even need gifts. Having grown older and wiser and having studied for some time now various theological and mystical ideologies, I have progressed passed the need for and pursuit of material things. I require only the meekest of physical objects to sustain myself. My intellectual and spiritual possessions are far more important.
And that is all crap. I have studied various theological and mystical ideologies and I still don't get the whole "renounce possessions" stuff. I like my stuff and I don't want to throw it all away and see no reason why I should. The late Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was once asked why he surrounded himself with flowers when you were not supposed to want for physical things. He responded by saying why not surround yourself with beautiful things? God made all the flowers of the world and they are beautiful so why not admire them. The same goes for anything as far as I am concerned. If God is everyone and everything then why do all the so-called "holy" people keep saying "renounce all worldly objects". And if possessions and money and such are to be considered worthless, why are the streets of Heaven paved with Gold. A: that would make a lousy paving surface for a street and 2: who needs gold in Heaven. I was kind of hoping Heaven would be like an all-inclusive vacation: everything is paid for and you only have to have cash for like liquor.
The point of this is simply I like my stuff. I even admit to loving some of my stuff. I have some books I actually love. I have some signed copies of some Iain Banks that I really treasure. I have several first editions that are really cool. I also love my car and my guitars. I really love my guitars. I don't play that well but I do love those chunks of wood. I do not love my TV or my DVDs. They are cool but I don't love them. And as much as I treasure music, (it really is probably the biggest joy of my life), I don't love my compact discs. Maybe if I collected old vinyl LPs? They have a very romanticised culture around them but I don't go for that.
So, with my birth anniversary looming in the headlights I am embracing my materialistic side and saying "come on with the pressies". And I would also like to acknowledge the dates exactly one and two weeks prior to my birthday, the 3rd and 10th of May, which are the birthdays of two of the greatest ladies to ever grace the surface of this ball of mud. They are loved and missed dearly. Take care my dearies, until we meet again...
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