Beware the Ides...

For as long as I remember, Dad and I have marked March 15th by telling each other "Beware the ides of March."  If we remember or talk to each other in the days preceding the 15th, we go through the "Beware the Ides," and then as the day comes, we say, "The Ides are here and so are we," and then of course, "Ay but they are not yet gone."  Or something like that---good thing that imitating Shakespeare was never the intent for we butcher his poetic lines!  Instead, we have created something of our own annual ritual with no real significance except to say, "hey, another year has passed and it is another Ides."  It is our way of keeping connected. 

For us, whose annual celebrations are few in number and are even fewer since I left home for college, it is nice to still have a few dates that allow us to pause from our normal schedules.  There is the usual birthday call for each of us---November 9-12 are busy days for us with my birthday on the 9th, the Marine Corps birthday on the 10th, Veteran's Day on the 11th, and his birthday on the 12th.  We usually recognize the Equinoxes and Solstices whether or not we call each other, and I'll call him on Father's Day.  If we are in the same place, we'll have Thanksgiving together, but we haven't been in the same place in two consecutive years since I was in high school.  February 19th holds special significance for Dad and me, and this year, we were able to spend it together for the first time in 12 years.  

So, the Ides of March (March 15th) is something we recognize each and every year, no matter where we are, and for no grand reason or significance other than that's what we've always done.  And for that, it is special.  One year I sent the message (via email or phone, I cannot remember) from London.  This year was no different---I turned on my computer to send him the annual message, and found that he had beat me to it.  This message awaited me:

Subject line: today for you, tomorrow for me
...beware the Ides of March...more later...
...love you, your day later Daddy...

He always writes in ellipses.  

While we are on the topic of dates, one of his favorite dates is just around the corner.  The Vernal Equinox is not only the first day of spring which means that his favorite season, Summer, is on the way, but it is also one of the most important dates of his personal record---long before I was around.  It also marks his first day in Marine Corps bootcamp, and followed by first firefight a year later to the date.   

For me, my favorite is the Autumnal Equinox, when the dreaded heat of summer is replaced by cool mornings and nights.  I welcome winter while Dad scorns it.  Heat creates a deep discomfort in me the same way cold creates it for Dad.  This year, I am in the longest summer---we will have 10 months of uninterrupted summer.  I predict that September and October in Philadelphia will hold a special sweetness for me, as I can finally be cool.  Though, I do like the end of summer as the sun shifts in the sky and the glaring heat becomes less intense on the angle and not from overhead.  Until then, I will be melting away.  Maybe by then, I will learn to embrace the heat as part of embracing the NOW.  This moment.  This very moment.  You know, Right Now.  Here in Thailand, the hottest month is April.  Lucky me!  I guess the flipside is that summer in Philadelphia might actually be refreshing!  I need to find my way to a beach--the only place where heat is somewhat tolerable!