4 July 2002: Absolved

Wow, that was a really nice birthday I had yesterday. Dinner at Red Sea with some of the best people in this or any universe: Geminica, Bonky, Moly, the Khan, and my parents. A charming couple of fellow freaks at a nearby table set up a confessional booth and absolved us of our sins. I got absolution without having to actually confess, because it was my birthday. Geminica didn’t confess her sins because they were too naughty, but she got absolved anyway.

Earlier, lunch with Geminica and my parents. Watched my dad leave the tip: First, a one-dollar bill. Then, in the center of the bill, holding it down, a 1972 Eisenhower silver dollar. Then, stacked and centered neatly on top of the silver dollar, another out-of-print coin, the JFK 50-cent piece. On top of that, one of those recent, gold-colored dollar coins with the Native American woman on it. And then continuing upward, in size order, a quarter, a nickel, a penny, and a dime. I think of the bumper sticker that says, "Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty." A popular saying now, but how many people actually practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty on a daily basis? I watch my dad, peering through his reading glasses with the intent expression of a small child with his first set of Legos, making sure that each coin is perfectly centered on top of the one below it. And I think, This is where I came from. Thank you, God, for blessing me with great teachers from the day I was born. God, grant me the joyous whimsy to be worthy of this legacy.