I have previously written about how my one and only brother Phil fell down a flight of stairs over a year ago and was on life support for several days, which seemed like eternity. He is now up and around enjoying life and has decided not to tempt the fates by waiting to turn 80 next year. Later this summer in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, Phil is hosting a party that he proudly calls, “We’re Still Here.”
Phil has always been the creative one in the family, and this is certainly a creative idea. Most of Phil’s friends and family will gather together to celebrate his survival and our own. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Believe me, when you get to a certain age, and I have gotten there, each day has a bit of survival in it. In the morning when I slowly get out of bed and realize I am still among the living, I feel like celebrating.
The fact is, we celebrate practically everything else under the sun. We give birthday parties for family members, for our pets and, of course, we celebrate the birthdays of famous people like Dr. King, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Jesus—we celebrate all of these. We even have Halloween parties where we dress up in costumes and celebrate heaven knows what—I think we are celebrating the joys of candy.
We also bring in the New Year with a party, set off fireworks for our country’s birthday, celebrate wedding anniversaries, graduations and so on. Practically everything is cause for a party, so why not our very existence?
Those of us who have been around awhile have endured quite a lot. We have survived root canals, colonoscopies, droughts, mudslides, fires, earthquakes and Tiny Tim. We have put up with rambunctious two-year-olds and rebellious teenagers. And with a little luck, we shall survive Donald Trump.
So, I don’t know why more of us don’t do exactly what Phil is doing. Let’s not put off celebrating the good fortune that we’ve made it this far. And if you decide to have a “We’re Still Here” party, please feel free to invite me, especially if you intend to serve desserts.
Hopefully, we will all still be here next week for another column.