My 65th Birthday Restaurant Crawl

I have had a fantastic 65th birthday.  I qualify for Medicare now.  My health plan has changed, I get free Silver Sneakers coverage at the local YMCA, and I expect that a lot of other changes are coming my way.

Walter wanted to give me a great gift.  What I really wanted was not a gift at all.  I wanted to spend some time with my family and friends.  And I wanted to not cook or wash dishes for a week.  So I convinced him to accompany me to a series of restaurants over my birthday week.  I contacted about 40 friends and set up small dinner parties at O'Charleys, Hickory Falls, La Siesta, Jim & Nicks and Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse.   The final dinner was with my children and grandchildren.  Each meal took on its own personality and had its own jokes and conversations according to the guests at each table.

Friends Celebrating My 65th Birthday at Jim & Nicks

I got to visit in small groups which I prefer over a large party where I do not get to speak very long to any one person and the event is over too soon.  This gave me a sense of intimacy with my friends.  It also gave me the gift of anticipation as I waited for each evening to come with a renewed energy.  After the meals, I was able to reflect over each conversation and enjoy them again and again.

The surprising thing was everyone said yes to my invitation immediately.  The month of December is so busy for all of us so I know they made the time for me.  I have a great set of friends and family members.  Some of my church members thought this was a great idea and asked which restaurants were on the list.  A few even said they might do the same for their birthdays.

I made sure to exercise during each day so I could eat a good meal each evening.  I did not gain even one pound!  How exciting is that?

God is good!