The Best of Binky's Johnny Weir Blog: "The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage."—Thucydides. "The secret of courage is more chocolate than I possess washed down with yet more Starbucks."

Johnny, Macy's Chicago, June 2011.

Photo © David Ingogly.

(Click twice for nearly life-size view. Seriously.

Cuz it's my birthday tomorrow

and it'll make me happy if you do.)

So I'm having one of those Dramatic Milestone Birthdays which is happening in a context which in many ways is making it not at all the birthday I thought I would be having at this Dramatic Milestone.

Which of course points out the utter futility of ever wasting a moment firmly assuming that things will be a certain way because of course--at least in my life--the minute I do that, I have just guaranteed that they definitely won't.

Sometimes stuff is way better than I thought it would be.

Sometimes it totally sucks beyond belief in ways I never anticipated in a million years.

But the important parts remain constant: (1) My beautiful and beloved children, (2) the Love that surrounds us always, and (3) our shared sense of humor at the complete random Shameless-ness of our lives that results in helpless wild laughter at moments like this yesterday:

Piñata At My Daughter's Knee:

A Study in WTF

This is the kind of photo you get

when you and your children are suddenly

and passionately clearing out lots and lots of debris

from your lives and your daughter discovers

that amidst the 486,392 pairs of shoes in her closet--

a closet that should be the centerpiece of its very own

two-hour Hoarders episode--is an unused piñata

in perfectly good condition that must immediately

be transported to Goodwill in your deceased mother's

Mercedes because your real car has been wearing

its spare tire which is only good for about 30 miles

for two weeks now because the effort involved

in driving it to the tire shop and then trying to get a cab home

in this town just leaves you adrift on your fainting couch

every time you even begin to contemplate it

and the Goodwill is out by the Starbucks and sweet Weirsus

we all need a Starbucks RIGHT NOW

if we're going to tackle whatever's on those shelves

in the basement ...

A year ago I celebrated my birthday after having just returned from Lake Placid with my kids, a 2,000-mile Starbucks-fueled odyssey that is fondly remembered as One Of The Best Things Ever In Our Lives.

This year we've got the piñata. Or we did, but now it's at Goodwill.

Anyway.

IDK what this next year has in store for us, but I'm valiantly trying to live up to my "More Weir, Less Fear" motto (though I fear I'm not doing so well with it at times) and keep my heart and my expectations wide open. Basically I'm just hoping for happiness for my children in whatever form is meaningful to them. And maybe for a few more stellar moments like these from The Year That Was ... Amazing:

Welcome to My World book signing,

Chicago, January 2011.

Random LOL moment with dear friend Robin Fosdick,

Ice Dreams, Chicago, April 2011.

Macy's State Street, Chicago, June 2011.

I'm trying not to completely crack up
because, after taking several photos, he declared

that we should now pose for a "prom picture."

Alas, no full-length view of this pose exists.

But it was wonderfully sarcastic.

These moments brought to you by my endlessly patient children, one truly awesome photographer, and the kindness of an extraordinary man who inspires me daily to do what I can--unmet expectations, sudden violent changes in life direction, and gigantic curveballs notwithstanding--to live this out loud:

Dreams are renewable.

No matter what our age or condition,

there are still untapped possibilities within us

and new beauty waiting to be born.

-- Dale E. Turner