A Good Day

It started from 6pm the evening before my birthday. My phone rang for the two separate messages from mom and dad: “Happy birthday!” Of course, it was already my birthday, China time. I called mom right away to video chat. For the 76th time, she told me about the day she birthed me. She was in the hospital for one night and one day with contraction but no progress. Just before 8pm the second day, the next shift doctor showed up, surprised: “You are still here. Let me help you!” “She was really pretty, that doctor!”, mom never forgot to add that detail. Tools were quickly gathered and a C-section was performed. I was born.

Mom never tires of telling me about that day. I never tire of hearing the same story. It only got better after I gave birth twice myself. We started comparing our experiences and connecting to each other in a new way. The night I had Kate through a C-section, my parents came to the hospital to see me and the newborn. Mom walked in, came straight to my bed, and hugged me: “That is so much suffering my kid.”

My birthday started with me taking the kids to their swimming lesson. Chris and I went to brunch at a Mediterranean restaurant and then a stroll in a park nearby. I no longer use the word “best friend” as an adult, but our easy conversation made me think of that term. After 11 years of marriage and 2 kids, we still long for time together, whether it is grabbing lunch from a taco truck on a work day, browsing through houses on Zillow while praising the one we live in, or watching one episode of Seinfeld after putting the kids down. It makes me happy to have a spouse who happens to be a great friend.

I had one hour to myself in the afternoon before taking Kate to her tennis lesson. After learning that many Chinese books are available on Kindle, I downloaded one novel and added two classics to my reading list. Those books were the ones I always thought: “One day, I will read them.” When that thought was turned into a tangible plan, I was liberated.

More than once in the past, I cried on my birthday about disappointing gifts. It probably reflected more poorly on me than on the gift giver. Over time, gifting in our family has evolved from a guessing game to hint dropping and then to clear pointing. I knew what I was getting this year, either a Thor’s hammer Lego set or a Transformer Lego set. They are my favorite worlds combined. My passion for Lego and Marvel movies is a puzzle to some, but I know they are just a continuation of my childhood favorites: 雪花积木(snowflake toy brick) and 圣斗士星矢(Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary). I used to spend hours building butcher stores, playgrounds, and living room furniture with snowflake-shaped bricks as a child. Recreating the world in a miniature form brings me endless fun. Followed by Ninja Turtles and Transformers, Saint Seiya was my favorite show in childhood. It is about a group of teenage warriors wearing a sets of sacred armors and fighting against evil. The Avengers are the grown up version of those saints, plus they fight on a larger scale. In the “End Game”, Captain America had a line: “Avengers! Assemble!” I jumped to my feet and cheered.

The evening went by with the presence of good friends and one slice of strawberry whipped cream Japanese-style cake. At night, when I laid my head on the pillow, gratefulness and contentment filled my heart. I thought to myself, it was a good day.