1/23

by | Jan 22, 2011 | Uncategorized | 1 comment

There is a wonderful order to the date of my birth.

January 23rd

January 23 or 1/23 has always been a perfect fit for me. Logical and orderly-kind of fits my personality. Had I been born in 1945 I would have 1/23/45 as my full birth date but I think that would have been way too structured for me. 

Jeffrey Lynn Slater
Instead, my birthday numbers are 1/23/54 (January 23, 1954) which is like a little jazz riff- unexpected and not predictable. 1 23 54 feels right – which may be why I have always felt pretty comfortable in my own skin. Maybe it is the right combination to unlock who I am? 
I have often joked that I would love to organize an exclusive club of people whose birthday is also January 23. I am not sure what we would do when we would meet (on the 23rd). I guess with Facebook creating such a group is just a click away and probably already exists. I know of several people with January 23 birthdays and there is a bond among us. We would hold meetings once a year- and celebrate together. We would share 1 23 stories. 
Birthdays can be filled with so much anticipation and angst particularly as we age. I get pretty flushed with memories so I try not to dwell on it. I thought I would make a short list of things that I want on 1/23 for my birthday. 

Birthday Wish List
  1. To wake up realizing how blessed and lucky I am.
  2. To slowly enjoy some dark roasted coffee.
  3. To be able to have a quiet day at home without any scheduled activities.
  4. To Skype with Sarah in Hawaii, Fanny in Hollywood and Mom in Springfield. (I would prefer to be with all of them in person but my Apple Teleporter from the year 2031 hasn’t arrived yet.
  5. To eat simple but delicious food with Ra El. 
  6. To drink French champagne or Italian Prosecco or both. 
  7. To listen to Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and John Coltrane.
  8. To walk for an hour.
  9. To play with Mango and Shambhala. 
  10. To be able to be with those who are no longer with me in body but are present in spirit. By being quiet, I can feel their presence and feel comforted by their love. 
Guess how old I am? 

Thank you for these 57 years filled with blessings. 


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1 Comment

  1. Sarah
    Sarah on January 23, 2011 at 1:02 am

    Happy birthday, daddy-o! I’ll call u in the morning so we can Skype. Love u lots!