I woke up in the morning of January 31, 2020, feeling good.

Having a long and restful sleep was a delight considering the almost endless stream of nights, tossing and turning in bed. And to dream about someone dear to me made that ZZZ complete.

In high definition and in glorious technicolor, my dream was about the laboratory undergoing an inspection with the inspectors making glowing remarks about what they noticed.

However, what was interesting and surprising was to see a dear friend back to work in Microbiology after many years of absence.

“Well, hello! How are you?” I blurted, holding back the sudden urge to hug her.

“Hello to you too!” She quipped as I sat next to her.

Still looking as young as I saw her for the first time when we were Medical Technology student interns in 1969, she was about to tell me her decision to come back, when, without notice, the dream just faded.

Oh, no! Please come back!  I moaned since I desperately wanted to know her reasons for coming back, how she had been doing, what she had done during the intervening years, and importantly, to reconnect with her to rekindle our friendship.

Alas! Like all uncontrollable, no-ending dreams, it turned into a white, amorphous nothingness.  

While attempting to think back to that dream, I walked to the kitchen to make myearly a.m. coffee, stopping briefly to look out the living room window to take delight in seeing the light dusting of snow on my driveway.

I sat at my computer desk as I sipped my coffee. I turned on my desk top, minilaptop, and iPhone to eagerly check birthday greetings – new ones to add to what I had already gotten a day earlier.

Southeast Asia being about 13 hours ahead of United States, family and friends in the Philippines initiated that early flow of well-wishers. Well, also included were friends who either forgot my exact birthdate or just wanted to greet me in advance.

“I still have some time to enjoy being a 71-year old, but thank you!” I mischievously texted back.

Greetings came in all e-forms – simple “Happy Birthday” (some with and some without mention of my name), fancy emojis, and colorful GIFs. All these somehow eliciting a smile, a guffaw, a heart flutter, and frankly, a welling up of eyes.

I must have been so engrossed in checking and acknowledging the greetings since I had not realized that the rays of the sun had already filtered through the window blinds.

After addressing the last greeting, I got up to wash the coffee cup, stopping briefly to notice that the sun had by then sublimated the light dusting of snow on my driveway.

I mindlessly washed the cup while I went over my mental to-do list:

• brisk-walk at the gym
• redeem my free T-Mobile Tuesday pretzel from Auntie Anne
• close out my newly matured CD at the Credit Union and open a new one
• have a free hot Dove chocolate while at the Credit Union

Hey, why don’t you also go out and eat at a restaurant that customarily pampers a celebrant by having the service staff sing “Happy Birthday” while carrying a complimentary something with a candle on it? I mused.

So, as soon as Red Lobster opened, I called to make a reservation for 1 at 6 pm., stressing the point that it was to celebrate my birthday. The lady cheerily accepted my reservation and wished me a happy birthday to boot.

As I set out to start the day’s plan, I was faced with a dilemna.

Hmm…should I first burn the calories at the gym and then have my pretzel and hot chocolate for recovery or generate fat cells first and then walk them off?

Nearing the intersection where turning right meant staying healthy and going straight meant gaining weight, I decided for the latter.

Yes! Stretch the hours between the last caloric intake and the Red Lobster supper, Romeo. You’ll have a piggy appetite with an emptier stomach. Ef the calories!

Pursing my lips, I nodded to signify my quick decision and then drove straight through the intersection towards Auntie Anne at the mall.

I got my free cinnamon sugar pretzel with the help of the East Indian staff. I managed to put a smile on their faces when I said “namaste” and “shukriya”, the only “hello” and “thank you” I knew in Hindi.

I was chomping off big bites of the lip smacking pretzel as I approached the Credit Union.

With the sun out on an unseasonably warm day, I was truly invigorated as I entered the Credit Union.

I hurriedly said “hi” to Eric at the front desk and then beelined for the coffee brewer at the end of his counter.

“Oh, my gosh! You have them!” I loudly exclaimed when I noticed the drawer marked Dove Chocolate had packs in it.

“What a way to celebrate my birthday! You usually run out of them and for them to be here is great timing! I immediately loaded a pack on the brewer while Eric wished me a happy birthday.

“Whoa!” I cried as the first sip of the hot chocolate almost scalded my mouth. However, as the heat dissipated, my taste buds immediately picked up the sweet chocolate flavor and melded it with the lingering taste of the pretzel. Having the heavenly aroma of chocolate wafting up my nose completed the sensation.

Wow! It’s only noon and I am already having the best time of my life. Free pretzel, free hot chocolate, and Red Lobster dinner at six – what could go wrong?

Anyhoo, creation of a new CD account with Maria via interactive video in a secluded room was a cinch. Of course, the shameless promoter that I was, I also told her that it was my birthday.

I waved goodbye to Eric and hit the road to the gym.

Inside the gym, I tied the usually loose tennis shoe laces, set my iWatch to Walk Workout, turned on the Brisk Walk playlist on my iPhone, made a quick check whether the direction on the oval track was clockwise or counterclockwise, and then stepped on the track.

The quick tempo of the the first song on my playlist immediately got me in a brisk walk rhythm. Irene Cara’s “Fame”, Los del Mar’s “Macarena”, Michael Buble’s “Sway”, etc., were so lilting that I found myself cha-cha dancing on the “Walk” lane, paying no heed to what the others on the track might think. Candy Crush, Solitaire, Today’s News, and FaceBook messages kept me visually busy.

About halfway into my routine, my iPhone rang. It was from someone at the hospital.

Hearing other voices in the background, I suspected that something celebratory was up. I immediately switched to FaceTime as suggested.

Well, unfolding on my iPhone was the Anatomic Pathology group of five singing “Happy Birthday”. My jaw dropped!

“Oh, my gosh! Thank you very much! This is such a pleasant surprise!” I said, smiling while holding back the tears.

“Happy birthday, Romeo!” Each taking turns in greeting me after the group singing.

“Where are you and what are you doing?” Someone asked.

“I am brisk-walking at the gym.” I answered as I focused the camera on my brisk-walking feet.

“Have fun!” Someone said.

“Thank you all again for making my day!”

I turned off the call, wiped my eyes dry, and continued with my walk. Now displaying an ear-to-ear grin, I thought of how lucky I was to have people who cared about me.

Being energized by the surprise call, I added another mile to the usual 1-mile routine. I cha-cha dance walked for a total of 2.04 miles, burning 196 calories in the process.

I took a nap as soon as I got home.

As I was waking up, I noticed a 4:22 pm message on my phone.

“I trust you are making today meaningful even just to yourself.”

What a nice thing to say, I thought to myself. It was from someone whose friendship I feared I lost because of my outburst which turned him off.

I rushed to my desktop to respond.

“I woke up 72 today and over time checked off names of greeting relations that really mattered to me. That list is completely checked off at 4:22 pm. Thank you.”

That sense of relief plus the afternoon nap, enlivened me to do a light 30-minute Zumba in my living room. I burned a total of 197 calories while flattening the nap on my carpet. With the calories I burned earlier, I now have a total of 393 calories to make up for. Hot damn!

In order to take a screen shot of the Dance summary workout on my iWatch, I sat down to push what I thought were the right two buttons. Well, the last button I pushed prompted a siren noise. I accidently pressed the Emergency SOS on my iPhone!

I tried to hurriedly do what I could to abort the call, but it was too late.

“This is the sheriff’s office calling. Are you alright?”

“I am sorry officer. I pushed the wrong button. Thank you and have a good night”. I answered back and promptly ended the call.

Didn’t I think earlier…what could go wrong?

I took a shower. I got dressed. I added an ascot for color and lightly applied my favorite cologne somewhere near a jugular vein where it would it make a full difference.

I put on my woolen overcoat to complete my birthday ensemble and proceeded to Red Lobster. This birthday boy is ready for a celebration that will highlight the day!

I was seated in a booth with Ryan as my waiter.

“Hi! My name is Romeo and today is my birthday.”

“Yeah, I know. I overheard you when you were making a reservation this morning. So, what do you want, birthday boy?”

“Bahama Mama, please.” I smiled because I was tickled pink by his juvenile reference.

I took selfies which I immediately shared with friends/relatives and relished the two bisquits while waiting for my celebratory liquor.

Small salad with blue cheese dressing, shrimp and lobster roll, and shrimp potstickers followed. I was going to order another dish, but was already feeling quite full. I then alerted Ryan that I was done. He moved the pay-at-the-table gizmo towards me after finalizing my bill and left. I took out my credit card to complete the transaction and then waited.

I waited and waited. And waited.

No singing waiters with a complimentary something with candle on it? I thought with a furrowed brow. Should I remind Ryan that it is my birthday?

Ryan, being unavailable (I believed that he also doubled as a bartender) and I havingwaited long enough, I left Red Lobster. I was a bit disappointed, but not wanting the inattention to ruin the day, I decided to go to the nearby Bakers Square for apple pie and hot chocolate to complete my birthday meal.

I was seated by Carol, who was also a septuagenarian. She wished me a happy birthday as I sat in a booth where the lights were so bright while all the tables across were dimly lit. It was like being on stage with the unlit audience waiting for the show to start.

I relished my apple pie with 2 scoops of ice cream and hot chocolate, pretending that I was performing on stage. Hey, it is my birthday after all and I am performing for free!

Once finished, I joined the line to check out. I felt good that my turn was withCarol, of the two who were at the counter. She was quite warm when she seated me and to have her complete the service would be a good thing to do. She appeared to be having trouble since she reached over to push the red delete button on the gizmo to abort what she rang up. She then asked someone to help validate what she did.

“I am giving you a discount since it is your birthday.” Carol said with a big smile as she rang up a new bill.

“Oh, wow! Thank you. Thank you for making my day, Carol!”

I inserted my credit card to complete the transaction. I then gave Carol an earnest look.

“Thanks, Carol, and again, you really made my day.”

I left Bakers Square quite contented, never mind that Red Lobster didn’t pamper me as a birthday celebrant. What I experienced at Bakers’ Square was more than enough to cap off the day.

I visualized what transpired from the time I woke up to the time I was with Carol as I drove home. I smiled.

I really did make today meaningful even just to myself!

On January 31, 2020, I woke up in the morning feeling good. I went to bed that night feeling better.