If today is your birthday... many glorious returns of the day! I used to enlist the citizens of Plastiqueville to help me do birthday greetings on Facebook.  For a while there, we tried to do that for almost all the birthdays that came up on our feed.  Trust me, that can get crazy.  So in the past year or so, we kinda got out of the habit.

However, today is Ari's birthday and what's more, it's #18, one of the landmarks, the big One-Eight.  I know Ari through my friend Angel and her daughter Eva; Ari and Eva are colleagues in their high school band.  They all live together in a house with one growing dog, multiple cats*, and a flock of birds (one cockatoo and a lot of budgies).  (*Some of the cats are fosters, so if you're in the market for feline companionship, hit me up.)

I got to thinking and realized that at the end of next month, I will be celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of my own One-Eight.  Times back then were a lot like they are now:  lots of uncertainty in the air, along with many strong opinions on all sides and the inevitable boil and broil of change.  If you had told me, back then, that I would be where I am now, I wouldn't have believed a word of it.  Yet, here I am, having landed on my feet after many twists and turns.  I'm still amazed.

So, the Queen and some of the lovely ladies of Plastiqueville have gathered to remind all of us, regardless of your mile marker on that wacky Road of Life, that we've all got people, we've all got friends.  We've got people who look out for us, even when we don't see them there.  We've got the ones who stand on the same stone with us, like the Queen and the Lady in Red, who taps the Queen's shoulder and dispenses advice.  We've got those who bring us gifts, like Rose Girl on the left.  We've got those who warn us away from trouble, like the Sorceress on the right.  And we've got those who hang out in the distance, like Esmeralda under the arch.  We may not meet them in person, but they shape the path, too.

Therefore, if today is your birthday (and I know it is for at least one of you):  The people of Plastiqueville wish you many glorious returns of the day!  (And for the rest of you, stay tuned for a "How we did it" - where did all that shiny background come from, anyway?)