This is 54

/ Ray Van Horn, Jr.

First off, Happy Mother’s Day, ladies! I’m privileged to share my birthday today with you all, most especially my own mother and my wife, who is both mom and stepmom.

So this is 54. This year for my birthday, I wanted to kick it off yesterday in one of my sacred places, Sugarloaf Mountain. Every year I do a seven miler through challenging, rugged terrain as a point of grinding my body beneath the eyes of nature and the divine.

Sometimes I have company, often it’s alone by means of connection to the greater scheme of life beyond the daily grind. So many nice people in passing on the trails, but not a soul behind me the entire 7 miles. I felt blessed, protected and gloriously tuckered out.

Beautiful weather that waited until I got back to the car before sending the rain down. Magnificent. Thank you to the divinities for walking with me today and on my upcoming 54th spin through life itself.

Also a big thank you to TJ for taking me to a magnificent steak dinner at one of our go-to places, Harryman House, and my son for giving me an acoustic guitar rendition of the birthday song. So very special.

–Ray Van Horn, Jr.

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