Birthday!

In honor of The Beatles launch of Rock Band and my birthday the day prior, I figured I would toss them the title of this post...

I had my 35th birthday on Tuesday. My day was my own: I was able to have lunch with Gabriel at school, take a ride on the motorcycle, pick Gabriel up from school, have some father-son time, and have dinner with Jen's family. Some great gifts were received: Seasons 1-3 of The Office, a shirt from AE, and the crown jewel- a new pair of Nike Free 5.0 shoes in navy and grey (NY Yankee colors). Tremendously comfortable.

On an internal note, it was definitely a day for reflection and looking to the future. Internal retrospection only lasted for a few minutes. This year, there have been tears of happiness and sadness. I have had some tremendous highs within my immediate family and my career, while rough low points recently in a loss of a great friend and struggles within my career as well. It has been a complete whirlwind and both ends of the spectrum assure me that I am still alive inside.

That said, it is too easy reviewing the decisions made in the past that have made me the man I am today. What is far more difficult is looking to the future to determine who I will become. This is something that I have not been able to work through just yet. I must develop the ability to be content with my life despite the external forces at play in my life. I have to figure out a way not to allow my job define me or determine my worth. As a man, I believe that is one of the most difficult things to do as a man in this society.

All this to say that I have decided to make an conscious effort to continue discovering who I am as a person. I enjoy listening to lectures that expand my ability to think on a higher level. Philosophy has always interested me because I like to ask questions that seem simple, but are quite complex when digested. I call it mental gymnastics. I have download some incredible material in iTunesU that I purpose to be recommended listening: Oxford University's Philosophy for Beginners. If you have not checked out iTunesU, please do so. There is an incredible amount of material available that is free to download and provides opportunities for you to stimulate your mind. If you find something in iTunesU that you really like, please let me know and I'll check it out too!

Exercise your mind!