Birthday Revisited

I celebrated my birthday yesterday and it was as always awesome.
It was not awesome for many reasons but mostly for the gifts that I received and they were many. These gifts were not like the material gifts that we all get on our birthday they were spiritual, eternal and lifelong.
My first gift was that of renewed friendship, reuniting with a long lost friend that I thought I had lost forever . Now that we are in each others' lives it is priceless . This friendship is renewed and growing. Where it will go I do not know but I am happy to be back and connected again. Sometimes I lose track of my friends and never re-unite in this case, I am glad this did not happen because our friendship means the world to me.
My second gift is the gift of good health. A few months ago, my health was shot to hell. My weight was over 370 pounds, my blood pressure was through the roof along with my blood sugar and I would surely die. This birthday I have lost over 100 pounds and counting, my blood sugar is down to normal along with my blood pressure . I look better and can now wear cool clothes and look cool in them. My life is turning around and I am going to keep heading in the healthy direction. My doctor wanted me to get a gastric by-pass operation. I instead decided to by-pass the large amounts of sugar and carbs I was consuming . I now exercise 90 minutes per day and watch everything that I eat. This gift is priceless and I gave it to myself.
My third gift is a change in career and career location. I have decided to purse a writing, film making and IT career over traditional classroom teaching. I will always be a teacher because I will always love teaching and learning but I want to do it my way and not at the whim of others. I hope this decision will take me down the right road and help me in pursuit of happiness and stability. I have a talent that should be shared with the world I now have the opportunity to do just this.
Gift 3 my daughter who has had a number of problems in the past is now struggling toward becoming the person that she wants to be . I will stick by her to help her achieve this . Of all things that I have done in my life adopting her was the best thing in my life.My new career will help me in this.
Gift 4 all of the good friends and family that I have who truly support me and encourage me to achieve my goals. They are teacher friends, comedy friends, relatives and lifelong friends who believe in me . I would never have the opportunities that I do if it were not for them. I love them with all my heart and my love for them will never die only flourish .
There is one last gift that I would like to give myself, the gift of love . Not the kind for friends and family but the emotional, physical and spiritual love that only one man can have for one woman. I have seen this love many times and would like this gift myself. It is not something that happens overnight and hopefully it will not take forever but I will wait as long as it takes.
This has been a happy birthday and I hope my next birthday will be even happier . I would call myself a hopeless romantic but that would not be true. I am a hopeful romantic who knows what he wants and will get it with time and patience .