Uisge Breatha

USIGE BREATHA...The Water of life! Thought to be the source of the word,

WHISK(E)Y!

Yes, I'm one of those. A whisk(e)y fan. An ardent lover of the drink! In all forms: Scotch, Irish, Japanese, American. Rums, blends, single malts...all are imbibed and savored.

Mind you not just for the drink; not to get hammered, sloshed, tipsy, wasted, or otherwise loosing my faculties. But for tasting, finding those subtle differences, those unique flavors that the distiller worked so diligently to infuse in his/her product.

I sit with my favorite tasting partner, my wife Amy, and we share our thoughts on that which we enjoy. The aromas, the color, the flavors. We talk and compare, each adding to our knowledge and enjoyment. It is a shared time of reflection and conversation.

We can be a bit snobby.
We use a Glencairn glass, designed to enhance the subtleties of the dram we pour. We swirl (never agitate), watching the legs of the whisk(e)y as they slide down the inside of the glass. We nose, always with open mouth in order to facilitate the use of all of our olfactory senses and try and find all the unique scents and aromas held within this wonderful nectar.

Then we taste, rolling the drink around in our mouths trying to touch all our taste sensors. Not a drink, mind you. A small sip. Just enough to allow the liquid full access to our taste buds. Then we drink.

Slowly, the drink unfolds. Sharing its secrets, allowing us into its recesses and embracing us in its warmth.

It's so sensual an act as to almost be indecent.

Then we let the drink rest. To allow it to bloom. To grow. To develop and change. And it does. Each taste becomes something of its own, Never the same. Always unique. And then a bit of water. Again, the drink changes. The alcohol becomes subdued and new flavors arise. Its as if we've poured a new dram.

Then we talk, At first its about the drink, What did you taste? Did you find the smoke, the sea, the cherry? The grass from the Highlands?

But then we just talk. About us, life, the world. All things and nothing.

The drink opens doors and paths and I take my wife's hand and we travel forward together.

Image courtesy: Brambleberry.com

Bouncing back

First let me say...I'm sorry.

Sorry for that whine fest of yesterday. Not sure what precipitated that but it was foolish.

Not that it was false. I truly was overwhelmed by my birthday. It's happened before. Not usually on big ones like 40 or 50 or even 60. I had a bad one at 24. No clue as to why. Just my weird brain chemistry, I guess. 😖

But please forgive me for my indiscretions. I'll try and do better next time.

My saviors from my funk were my family; my wonderful wife, my amazing stepson, my other kids and my fantastic friends. They grabbed me by my short hairs and dragged me back to the world of reality. Made me see that I am a blessed man.

I thank you all with all my heart!

Birthday

65

I'm 65. Geeze!

This one's a toughy.
I don't know why.
I don't feel old, don't look old. But something about this birthday, this age, is wearing me down.

I'm depressed by this. Like, spontaneous tears depressed. Like, curl up in a hole and hide, depressed.

And I don't know why!
And that makes it worse.

Because I can't fix it!

I know 65 is just a number and doesn't reflect the real me. I've got a beautiful wife, great kids (including a fantastic stepson), food,
drink, friends. So, I should be happy.

But this birthday is killing me.

I know I'll be ok once this passes. I'll survive and carry on, living my life joyfully.

But right now.....