years back, i started the tradition of decorating the various kitchen boys' stations for their birthdays and giving them odd and/or fun gifts (legos, light sabers, etc.). i think that it's easy as we get older to stop thinking of our birthdays as fun and exciting, just as the joy and wonder that we held as children seems to dissipate in all of the other areas of our lives. i think this is sad. all too often, as adults, we focus so much of our time and energy on grown-up things that we tend to forget about how wonderful the world can really be. i've always tried very hard, with varying degrees of success, to put a little of that fun, wonder, joy, and even mischeif into the lives of the people that i love. this world is a beautiful place, but only if you choose to make it so. sometimes, i wish that more people would try harder to positively effect those around them...we each have the power to within us to shape our surroundings and either brighten or darken the days of those who we hold most dear. anyway, enough of my soap box, love is the answer rhetoric (even though i do think love is the answer). i can't begin to say how happy i was when i walked into work on my birthday and found my office decorated as seen here. i can say, though, how truly, deeply grateful i am to everyone who made my special day so much more so. by the way, the inflatable male "love doll" sitting in my chair is named bandit. he's been a fixture in the kitchen since he showed up at jason's birthday three years ago. although he's been in storage since receiving a puncture wound a few months back, i was especially glad to see him make a special birthday appearance for me. thanks again, everyone. "in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." paul and john had it so right.
