Today is my 60th birthday. One of the things I did to celebrate was grab a beer at my favorite San Antonio spot, Mad Pecker. I went by myself in the middle of the day. It was wonderful. I have learned over the years that I enjoy sitting at a table listening to the music and enjoying a brewski by myself. But, it wasn't always that way.

I was reminded of my 43rd birthday, way back in 2001. That night, I was supposed to celebrate my birthday at Hills and Dales, which was my favorite drinking spot at the time. Several of my friends had told me they would be there. Most of them were fellow NISD Curriculum Instructional Technologists (CITs), and part of the social group we called the CADs (Control Alt Delete). We hung out at Hills and Dales at least twice a week in some grouping or another.

That night, November 11th, 2001, I was super excited. I had already spent the day with my family celebrating my birthday. My wife had made a delicious meatloaf for me- my favorite food. I had opened gifts and spent the day playing with my two young sons. At that time, they were six and eleven. It was a great day. But, that evening, was my chance to spend some time with the gang at an adult venue. Rachel is not a beer drinker and preferred to let me go do my thing.

I took a shower and dressed in my then favorite t-shirt, the black one with the San Antonio Iguanas log on the front. I sprayed some of my favorite cologne on myself, and headed off to Hills and Dales.

I got there a few minutes early. We were supposed to meet up at 7:00. I ordered a beer and went to sit on the outdoor deck, where I could watch the others drive into the parking lot. By the end of that first beer, it was 7:30 and I was still all by my lonesome. I didn't have a cell phone back then, so there was no way for anyone to call me and tell me what was up. I used to joke that I didn't need one as long as I was with my friends, because I could use theirs, if I needed to make a call. It was a system that usually worked out well for me.

At about 7:45, I was beginning to get impatient. I went inside and talked to the owner, Kevin, for a few minutes. I ordered a second beer and bought some peanuts before heading back out to the deck to wait on my friends. Nobody came.

At 8:15, I went back in and got a third beer and a cigar. I sat on the deck drinking that beer, smoking the cigar, and seething on the inside. I mean, this was ridiculous! About 6 of my friends had promised to be there. What could possible be holding all of them up. It was suddenly 8:30, and I was still alone.

Against my better judgement, I let my emotions guide me. I went in and bought a fourth beer and another cigar. Then, I returned to the deck feeling totally betrayed and disillusioned. Just then, I looked to my left toward 1604. A full moon was rising just over the horizon. It was unbelievably huge. I was gobsmacked!

I didn't drink that fourth beer. I actually dumped it over the rail of the deck. I didn't need it anymore. All of my anger at my friends seemed totally trivial to me. What did they matter? There in the night sky, the moon itself was full for me. What more could any man ask for?

I finished my cigar, went in to pay my tab, and left Hills and Dales in as happy a mental state as ever. I learned that day that I did not need friends around me to confirm my enjoyment of my passage through this life. I was totally capable of spending time with myself and really feeling good about it. To this day, I feel like I enjoy my time alone a little more than I probably should. But, I'm okay with that.