Every year as the leaves turn to the brilliant colors of autumn before they meet their ultimate demise, I again turn the page to another year on the Great Mandala, as I too gain even more brilliance and inch closer to my own farewell. But take heart, friends and neighbors—I’m no closer to the finale countdown than any of you since we’re all on a one-way ticket with no foreknowledge of our ETA. And after 78 trips on Helius’s chariot, I’m still very much kicking and screaming (although I need to take a nap every now and then, more now than then, lately).

I wish I had listened to Mickey Mantle, who famously once said, “If I knew I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” To compound that lament, I’ve already outlived The Mick by 15 years.

Yikes!

And as far as the expanded brilliance goes, I don’t think so. If I were so smart, why would I choose to go to the Rutgers/Oregon football game for my birthday, a game that had all the portent of a wrecking ball on the East Wing. After a delightful and inspiring pregame program in the fading light of a beautiful October evening, that wrecking ball slammed into the hallowed ground of the first-ever college football game, leaving havoc and despair in its wake.

We lost 56-10.

Yikes, redux!

But havoc dissipated rapidly, and my despair floated away like dust in the wind thanks to you all. Once again, I’m humbled and grateful for all the birthday wishes I received. They bolstered my spirit and reminded me how getting the snot beaten out of you doesn’t hold a candle to the fellowship and kindness of others.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.