They say you can't have your cake and eat it, too. Once it's in your belly, it's no longer on your plate. So... you gotta decide which is more important: the possessing, or the enjoying. And speaking of cake...

Six years ago when I turned 50, I decided that I'd had enough birthday cake to last a lifetime. So I resolved that for my next fifty birthdays, I would celebrate with some sort of non-cake dessert instead. Last night I enjoyed a delicious chocolate torte -- which is a lot like cake, but denser and layered, I guess. In any event, it was tasty and decadent and made me feel all fancy in an epicurean sort of way. And speaking of Epicurus...

The Greek philosopher Epicurus taught: "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." Food for thought! So as I was chowing down on my chocolate birthday torte, I made a point to chew on this: do I really savor and enjoy what I've got, or do I focus entirely too much on the things I wish I had? Am I dwelling on the anxieties and uncertainties of life, or am I cultivating gratitude for all the things big and small that I can enjoy with certainty in the here and now? And speaking of thanks-giving...

My mom and dad somehow arranged for my birthday to fall every year right before the Thanksgiving holiday. What a great birthday gift they gave me -- an annual reminder to celebrate each new trip around the sun by being grateful and enjoying all the proverbial chocolate tortes that are set before us.

I'm grateful for all the kind birthday wishes, and I'm grateful for all of you who have crossed my path at some point to help make me who I am today at the ripe old age of 56. The restaurant server was unable to accommodate my wish for 56 candles atop my torte -- something about fire codes, and the laws of physics -- but it was super sweet nonetheless. Can't wait to savor whatever treat is on my plate next time around.

ECW

November 19, 2025