Luke's Birthday

My son Luke (aka Lucas) will be celebrating his 31st birthday next week. First of all, I can't believe he's that old, which makes me think of getting older, too. Not a fan of being in my 50s. My 40s was my best decade. I'll blog about it sometime.

Anyway, the question of what to get him for his birthday is not really a problem for me. He and I enjoy the same things, so I just get him what I would like and it's usually the right choice. I'm not saying it's 100 percent. I don't think he'd be crazy about a subscription to Marie Claire magazine.

I'm grateful for the Internet because I can choose his gifts and have them sent to his house without leaving the comfort of my ergonomic computer chair. He doesn't read my blog so I can go ahead and mention the unmentionable:

1) The James Dean DVD box set featuring East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. Although Luke is a fan of classic films and I'm betting dollars to dominoes that he doesn't have this collection. But I could be wrong. My favorite is East of Eden.

2) The movie "The Muse" with Sharon Stone and Albert Brooks. I think Luke would enjoy the idea of a real live Muse helping a writer with writer's block.

3) A set of four classic musicals: Singing in the Rain, Easter Parade, Band Wagon and Meet Me in St. Louis. I brought my kids up on Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. I'd teach them the songs and we'd dance around the house ..."Moses Supposes His Toeses are Roses." Luke remembers that. I think in a parallel universe he'd be a tap dancer.

4) A book called "Renaissance Soul." This book was a milestone for me in assessing my goals and achieving my dreams. It's philosophically similar to the concepts behind Isaiah Berlin's essay on Tolstoy's "The Hedgehog and the Fox" analogy. In "Renaissance Soul" the world is divided into two kinds of people: the Mozarts (the Hedgehogs) who are all about ONE THING, the main thing that fulfills their existence. AND the Benjamin Franklins (the Foxes) who have many different interests and pursue a variety of activities to meet their need for fulfillment. (Cliche alert!) This is right up Luke's alley.

So I'm hoping that Luke can enjoy his birthday reading about goal-setting and watching Gene Kelly tap dance on a mahogany table. Happy Birthday!