Springtime in Austin: A sentimental and special time for me

March 26, 1998

Photographed by Dr. Stuart A. Greene, DDS sgreene@sage.net

Hello OBGYN.netters,

I hope this message finds things well with all of you.

Spring has certainly sprung around OBGYN.net World Headquarters. Austin, Texas is so beautiful this time of year. The wild flowers are blooming, the grass is green, and the days are getting longer.

I celebrate my 42nd birthday on March 28th. It was always such a dreary time of year in Massachusetts for the first 33 years of my life that I must admit I really enjoy these Texas birthdays an extra measure. Texas in March is like Massachusetts in May. I used to love that time of year when I was a kid. I remember coming home from school and racing with my sister and friends to Reynolds' Field down the street from our house to play. It really was too early to go swimming but somehow I always managed to be the one who fell in the brook!

Wow, forty-two years old. An old lady soon I guess. Fifty's just around the corner. It's funny how you can go along and forget how old you are sometimes. Then a birthday comes along and reminds you that time is moving along.

I got a sad call yesterday. Tommy, one of our old employees from my flower shop days had died of lung cancer. He had been a big help to me when my Mom died (Gosh, almost three years ago now). He was a nice guy and an excellent floral designer. He had always been so worried about his companion Joe, who was HIV positive. But it turned out it was Joe who called me with the news. So in the end, after all Tommy's worrying about loosing Joe, he was the one to go first. Who would have guessed? Not me or Tommy. We had always just assumed it would be Joe. He was HIV positive after all and Tommy wasn't. He was perfectly healthy. Well, at least that's what we thought at the time.

I went for a walk to the park yesterday afternoon with my daughter. It was just too beautiful a day to stay shut up at the keyboard. In fact it was a particularly shiningly and balmy day even for Spring in Austin. Golda decided she wanted to jump in the creek with all her clothes on for a swim. It must've looked like fun. She looked up at me in anticipation, "Is it okay Mommy? Can I go in with my clothes on?", she asked tentatively.

All the reasons why it was a bad idea automatically came flooding into my head. You'll catch a cold. You'll ruin your clothes. What will the neighbors think. You'll make a drippy mess when we get home...

I looked into her eyes. I thought about how I loved to jump in the brook all those years ago when I was seven. I thought about Tommy worrying about Joe. I thought about what a beautiful day it was to be alive and getting ready to turn forty-two.

"It sounds like a lot of fun", I said. "Go for it!"

Fondly,
Roberta

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If you have any interesting news, ideas, or questions you would like to share please drop me a line at roberta.speyer@obgyn.net.

3/26/98

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