THE BOOK OF JUDE – CHAPTER IX

CHAPTER IX – HAPPY 50TH BORN DAY

I am Jude. Happy 50th born day to you Dionne Paris-Clyke! We rarely tell the ones we care about the most how much we love them. I am certainly guilty of it. So today I want the world to know why you are my day one, and the only one.

I love you D, for your devotion and steadfast commitment to our love. We have now been together by my count over 33 years, although there is some debate about the exact time. I’m not completely sure when our relationship began but I do know we were exchanging looks, and you were trying to violate me, long before that. 

I love you for your constant care and concern. Thank-you for consistently celebrating my light. You have shared my darkest days and deepest disappointments.Thank you for your unwavering support. I love that you allow me to fall short, and fall short again as I try to become the life partner that you deserve. Thank you for your patience and  for challenging me to become the best version of myself.  

I love you for putting ‘Team Clyke’ first and being our biggest cheerleader. Thank you for your companionship and being one of my daughter’s best friends and closest confidants. Thank you for your Mama Bear Mentality. It is comforting to know you will never tolerate any bullshit or bad words about us. We know that no matter where you are or who you are with, you always have our backs.

I see your silent struggles to find yourself and to feel whole again after the surgery. I recognize the mental, emotional and physical consequences of your post-operative recovery. No one knows what you have experienced and have had to bear. But I can attest to your heroic strength and resilience. 

Beyond your own illness and life-saving  procedure, the last number of years have been incredibly difficult. There have been a string of personal tests and traumatic events. After being together since high school, your husband was misdiagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and effectively given a death sentence. Your daughter was also airlifted to Halifax for a dangerously premature delivery. 

You are finding your own way and pursuing your own unique path to self-discovery and personal development. I applaud your efforts to Break Free from the emotional garbage that we all carry with us from our past. Keep going. Show people the beautiful butterfly inside you by continuing to improve your relationship  with yourself.

I have inside information I want to share. My wife has a host of latent and unrealized talents!

In another life, she could have been a flower shop owner and floral arranger. She has a passion for planting and helping things grow. With her innate organizational skills and style, she could have been a HGTV home decorator or stager. She has a unique ability to see and reconsider space. She could have been a professional organizer, helping people declutter their homes and bring order to their lives. 

There is a competitive runner inside my wife. She enjoys challenging herself and measuring her progress against others. In retrospect, I believe we both should have been running all of our lives. We still can D. It may be more of a shuffle than a run and it now results in some physical discomfort, but running is running. For me, that’s enough.

She could have also been a great trial lawyer. I have seen how she presents evidence and have been witness to her impassioned Johnny Cochcrane-like arguments. I am regualrly indicted, prosecuted and convicted of crimes regardless of my guilt or innocence.

It’s never too late. Your golden birthday offers you an opportunity to reflect, take an inventory of all of your skills and interests and follow your passions. Welcome to the semi-centenarian club. The future is what you make it! 

Your Next Best Read – The Four Agreements

There are endless truly INSPIRATIONAL and TRANSFORMATIONAL reads. This is one of them for me. I’ve now listened to it three times within the last month and I will revisit it regularly. This book is truly profound.

Positive Reflections – What’s Good?

After an extended hiatus, date night is back. We are dedicating at least once a week to spending quality time together. We are making changes in other aspects of our lives and realize that we need to re-invest in our relationship. 

We have now been together for over 30 years. The relationship has required us to negotiate each other’s personal growth and has demanded Herculean resolve. It continues to require care and attention, even after so much time with one another. 

Dates look a little different now. We no longer have the interest or ability to do some of the things we used to enjoy. Gone are the loud, late nights. They have been replaced with more low-key activities like hikes, live theatre and finding good vegan food.

Our lives have changed dramatically in the last three years. This new phase marks yet another chapter in our life together. It presents some new challenges but offers limitless possibilities and a new way of living and loving together. I’m game for it. 

Side Hustle Update – Unshackled Solutions Coaching and Consulting

My personal learning journey in all things business, web page management and life coaching continues. I have committed to an hour of devoted daily study with a specific focus on learning how to help people reach personal goals and live more fulfilling lives. I have also dedicated an evening a week to networking with other individuals who can provide perspective, direction and support to my intentions. 

Public Service Announcement

Not only is this my wife’s golden birthday, November 30th marks the second anniversary of her liver transplant. It is a reminder of the pain, fear, uncertainty and of what was lost. However, it is also an opportunity to celebrate the gift of life and your steady recovery from the  physical, emotional and psychological consequences of the operation. Your progress and efforts to get your groove back have been incredible. 

Please register for organ and tissue donation. One donor can provide life-saving assistance for up to eight people and improve the lives of up to 80. I thank the organ donor who saved my wife’s life. Our family can attest to the unquestionable real life benefits of giving. 

We have certainly experienced our ups and downs but we have now been together over three decades. That’s a long damn time. I am so proud of what we accomplished. We have a great relationship with our daughter, we have two beautiful grandchildren, we live in the community where we grew up and we are actively exploring ways to ensure that our next years are our best years. I am here to tell you, the future is bright at 50. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us next…..I am Jude