I honestly can’t believe I’m still here

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

Nearly four years ago, Kathleen was being told by a doctor that she might “have to make some tough choices” while I lay in a hospital bed drifting in and out of consciousness. (I spent ten days in the hospital and only really remember about several hours of it.) I should have packed it in at age 56.

Instead today I turn sixty.

I cannot fathom why I’m still here. I’ve had friends much younger and in much better shape than I am drop dead with no warning. I can’t understand why I’m still sucking oxygen.

Maybe it was to welcome a new generation of children into the world, with the birth of my two grandsons, A.J. and Orson. Maybe it’s to see Caroline through to her goal of becoming president. Maybe it’s to provide company for my beloved Kathleen. Maybe it’s to finish the third “Hidden Earth” novel. Maybe it’s to see the next “Star Wars” movies.

Whatever it is: I’m still standing.

PAD

45 comments on “I honestly can’t believe I’m still here”

  1. Happy Birthday, Peter!!

    Please know that you are very much loved by all the readers and viewers you have brought so much joy to.

  3. Happy Birthday, sir! I’m glad you got see those things that have already happened and hope you get to see all of the future ones come to pass.

    Best to you and all of the family.

  9. Just saw it was your 60th when I visited Memory Alpha (they know everything there!), and figured that you were bound to say something to mark the occasion.

    Many happy returns!

  11. I´m so glad you´re still with us and hope your health is better each day. Have a great Birthday and thank you for all you have given to the world.

  16. Glad you’re here, Peter. And each morning, as I read a bit more of “New Frontier: The Returned” during my commute to and from work, I am reminded of one of the reasons why.

    Best wishes to you and your entire family. Enjoy it all.

    🙂

  17. You should’ve included a video of the Elton John song “I’m Still Standing” as a companion to the text. 😀

    And while all of the events you mentioned are important, I really would love to see Book 3 of The Hidden Earth come out.

  19. According to the Interwebs, you exist to have an opinion on whatever Marvel is doing with the Hulk at the moment.

    So here’s to hoping that they will keep screwing with Bruce Banner for another 60 years!

  20. And we’re all the gladder for it. Happy 60th, and may the toughest choice anyone in your family has to face for several years be Caroline’s college choice a few years hence!

  23. Happy birthday! Just remember that you’re allowed to sit down and relax for a bit now and then, too.

  24. Whatever the reason you’re still here, we’re all just glad you’re still here.
    .
    Happy Birthday.

  25. Happy Birthday, Peter! Very glad you are still around! All of those are excellent reasons for your still being around.
    Keep on Truckin’, man!

  26. Happy Birthday, sir. A third Hidden Earth novel would be an excellent birthday present to us all, I think, but just having your talent in the world is a gift for all of us, your fans.

  27. Happy Birthday, Peter and welcome to the 60s. We may not know why you are still here, but we are certainly glad you are.

  29. Congratulations, Peter, on reaching 60. I hadn’t realized how close our birthdays are. Mine was/is Sept 25. This year was my 63.

    I’ve had my brushes with The Reaper, including two bouts (so far) with cancer. The first, in 2006, cost me one particularly male body part. The other, just two years ago, involved daily radiation therapy which seems to have done the trick for now.

    I’m the only one in my immediate family who’s had to deal with cancer. My father passed away in early 94 from something similar to Parkinson’s, but faster acting.

    On the other hand, in March of this year, my mother celebrated her 100th birthday, and she’s still going as of this writing. So it’s a toss-up whose longevity I’m going to follow.

    Anyway, Happy 60th, Peter. I hope you have many more.

    1. Sigh. That should’ve been my birthday is Sept 15, not 25. Don’t know if the fault is mine or my Mac, which I’ve had for six months now.

    2. Sadly, I can relate. I just “celebrated” my first year since being diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer (and my first surgery ever), and I still get chemo every other week. While it sure ain’t easy, it does make me appreciate all the days I have!

      1. Ouch; very, very sorry to hear that, James. Here’s hoping that the chemo is successful for many years to come.

  30. Happy Birthday Peter – I didn’t realize one of my favorite writers shares a birthday with one of my favorite musicians – Bruce Springsteen.

  32. Dear Peter,

    The human body is such a complex mesh of systems that there are still times when either continued life or sudden death are unexplainable. Gerry Doyle said that after nearly dying, like John Sheridan and Delenn, he never missed a sunrise. Looking back, like John Sheridan, he had only so many sunrises to see, but I don’t doubt his statement that he was glad for every one of them.

    There are worse habits to have than one representing that kind of gratitude to and for life.

    Happy Birthday, Peter. Best wishes to your entire family.

    David K. M. Klaus
    St. Louis

    age 61
    (I had reason to think I wouldn’t last this long, either.)

  33. Dear Peter,

    The human body is such a complex mesh of systems that there are still times when either continued life or sudden death are unexplainable. Gerry Doyle said that after nearly dying, like John Sheridan and Delenn, he never missed a sunrise. Looking back, like John Sheridan, he had only so many sunrises to see, but I don’t doubt his statement that he was glad for every one of them.

    There are worse habits to have than one representing that kind of gratitude to and for life.

    Happy Birthday, Peter. Best wishes to your entire family.

    David K. M. Klaus
    St. Louis

    age 61
    (I had reason to think I wouldn’t last this long, either.)

  35. Happy Belated Birthday from one of your fans from back in the days of GEnie and its SFRT and Comics RT!

  36. Well, I’m happy you’re still around, and may you stick around for several more years.

    Even though we like to think doctors have all the answers, they can sometimes be wrong, especially when estimating life expectancy. My mother was told that my older brother wouldn’t see his first birthday (he was 2 months premature), but he’s seen 57 birthdays so far.

  37. Happy birthday, man! You’re one of my biggest inspirations. Thank you for all of your awesome characters and stories.

  38. Peter,
    Happy birthday! Delighted you’re still here, and, even better, still writing brilliantly. Being here for Caroline’s presidency sounds like a great reason to me – barring the same kind of constitutional amendment that worked for Prez Rickard, you’ll be here a good long time.

    Best wishes,
    Chuck Huber (61 last May)

  40. Hard to believe it has been four years already! I share the sentiment already expressed unanimously by the previous commenters–glad you’re still here! Happy Birthday, and may you enjoy many, many more.

  41. Happy Birthday! And many more to come!! You gave us all a big scare, but it’s so great to see you haven’t missed a beat!

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