Subtraction

Over the weekend I turned forty. Actually, not long before that I was twenty years old, and then all of a sudden it was Saturday night and I was celebrating four decades on this planet.

Forty is a kind of milestone no matter what. But it was extra special for me because I got an amazing gift. Laura corralled several dozen of my friends to each draw, paint, photograph, collage or diagram portraits of me. She pulled this off conspiratorially, so I had no idea at all that this nontrivial creative project was happening behind my back for almost two months. When she presented it to me Saturday, at a birthday dinner with some friends, I was utterly shocked. You can see the portraits over here.

Please indulge a little bit of sentimentality here, because I was overcome with emotion as I flipped through the pages. It reminded me that I have amazing people in my life, and how lucky I am in that respect. It also reminded me that somehow, in spite of nearly four decades of clumsily ambling my way around this planet, I managed to find the right person to spend my life with. Being reminded of that fact was the best possible gift I could have gotten.