Birthday Cream Pie

Yesterday was Andyface's birthday, and he took off work so we could play together. May I just say that one of my favorite things about Andyface is his ability to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. I basically told him that he could do whatever he wanted to celebrate, and here is what we did:

-Watched the sunrise
-Ate a yummy breakfast (veggie omelet, biscuits, and smoothies)
-Went for a bike ride
-Baked some bread
-Had a picnic lunch (inaugural run of our picnic basket)
-Watched Ratatouille

What a lovely day! Even despite the increasing heat of the summer, it was a gorgeous day outside, and we were happy to spend so much time enjoying it. The only downside was that there were a few gaping holes in our day: as I'm leaving with Collegium for Boston later this afternoon, there were last-minute rehearsals and a send-off concert to be reckoned with, not to mention some of my final duties as TA to make sure all goes well. Nevertheless, we were able to get a lot into the hours that we had.

This is something I hope we can hold onto as life progresses. Right now, it's pretty easy to be satisfied with these simple pleasures, because it's pretty much all we have. Someday, though, it may be harder to resist the urge to "keep up with the Joneses," to fill our lives with things instead of with experiences. The latter are so much more meaningful--both in the moment and years later. (I never understand why people on Showcase Showdowns from the Price is Right pass up awesome trips to amazing places in hopes of winning a car or a boat or something. I would take the trip any day.) Experiences change us: we learn, we grow, we see the world differently. Things just accumulate until we forget that we have them anymore, and then end up selling them at a garage sale for a quarter.

Speaking of things, I'd better go toss a few of them into a suitcase before I have to leave. Packing is the bane of my existence.