I’m lucky to have my very own Yogi Berra. His name is Baden and he is one of my dearest friends from childhood.
He has a knack for coming out with turns of phrase that I personally find very funny.
He once asked me if I’d ‘tried that new Jamie Olive Oil recipe’. Another time, when I was teasing him as he fastidiously tidied his apartment, he exclaimed, ‘I know, I think I’m coming down with a case of AC/DC!’
But beyond the laughs, sometimes there is magic in his words. Like maybe actual magic. On his eighteenth birthday, we were five days into a kayak on a remote river in the Australian outback when he yelled to the sky, ‘I need a beer on my birthday!’. We were a hundred miles from a bar and hadn’t seen another soul the whole trip. But lo and behold, two hours later, a full, perfect can of beer floated down the river. We fished it out, paddled to the shore, cracked it open, sang him happy birthday, and shared a few sips each.
Another night, when we were walking home from a nightclub in Greece celebrating both of our 30th birthdays, he said:
‘every year is the best year of your life.’
And its stuck with me ever since.
Now, I know that we all have tough years. I certainly have. But looking back I also see growth in them just as much as I see joy in the euphoric ones.
Today is my birthday—I’m turning 41. I woke up well slept. My two young boys, wild-haired and sleepy, hugged me as they emerged from their room. So did my beautiful wife. The Stevie Wonder birthday song played. I drove out to the bakery to buy four pistachio pastries for us all. We are going to go for a swim soon, and later today, we will go out for a drink at our favorite place.
I have the sneaking suspicion that this year may yet be the best year of my life. When your birthday swings around, I wish the same for you.
An ode to a true legend. How lucky we are to have Baden! And happy birthday to you x