I was having a good sleep in my car
In the parking lot of the Showboat Casino-Hotel
I say, "I remember you, you drive like a PTA mother
You brought me draft beer in a plastic cup
I'm feeling thankful for the small things today
I'm feeling thankful for the small things today
Happy, happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me and to you
Happy, happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me and to you
~ Cracker
No idea what to say about this song, other than it makes me want to get up and dance. And given that today is my birthday, I might as well, right? Especially since I still CAN get up and dance! As for the lyrics, as much as I love the line, "You drive like a PTA mother," there's not that much to say about it.
In '67, I was 17. Now it's '17, and I'm 67. I'll just let you wrap your head around that math for a minute while I think about the small things that I am thankful for today.
Vegetarian chili. Dark chocolate-covered ginger. Pirate Republic Brewery's Long John Pilsner in a longneck. Community dogs (potcakes) that run around at will. Neighbors who bring their three-legged pig for a visit. Island breezes. Reggae music. Passionfruit vines growing over the front door. A rooster crowing at sunrise. Driving on the left side of the road. Brightly painted cement cottages. Pink sand. Beach after beach after beach.
I am on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera with my daughter Jenna. This is no Atlantis, mind you. This is the real Caribbean. We are traveling the length of the island, taking in the fragrances and sounds of a different world, one that helps to put everything in perspective. On Eleuthera, one gets by with what's available. One "makes do." People share. It is a simple way to live, and it is liberating.
The small thing I am most thankful for is not a small thing at all. I am spending my birthday with one of the three people I love most in this world.
So Happy Birthday to me!
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| Found on the beach in Eleuthera on my birthday! |
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