Laura Erickson's For the Birds

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Triple Golden Birthday

When I was in fifth grade, I calculated out that I was going to turn 60 on 11-11-11. That seemed amazing and thrilling, too cosmically cool to even make me consider how old 60 sounded.

Well, 11-11-11 is looming, less than three years away now. It's a bit sobering, but rather than looking at the gloominess of the prospect, I'm trying to think of the best place on earth to celebrate the day. Maybe the perfect choice would be Cuba, to finally see the smallest bird in the universe, the Bee Hummingbird, or my most-wanted bird, the Cuban Tody--the most adorable bird in the universe.
(Pete Morris kindly allowed me to use this photo to highlight the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival.)
Maybe I should go to the Sahara to see the largest bird in the universe. Or maybe I should go to a familiar place to spend the day with the most resplendent bird in the universe.

And there are plenty of other cool birds there, too!

Or should I just stay home enjoying the most pleasant company in the universe?

Well, whatever I do, I'll be filled with great expectations and hope and joy up until the day. And with luck, the afterglow will be intense enough to dim out the fears that seem to arrive with every new decade after we've finished our twenties.