Some days are simply more wonderful than others. They may not dawn sunny and warm, and they may not be free of persistent challenges and concerns, but somehow they have their own magic.

Tuesday, April 28 was one such day for me. I hope that certain aspects of my experiences will have some resonance with you.

After an appointment in the late morning, I drove to Toronto to attend a birthday party in honour of my good friend, Michael Levine, organized by his son Alexis.

Mike and I had met in Toronto in 1970 and have been pals ever since, attending Blue Jays and Raptors games, the Stratford Festival every year, and many plays and ballets in Toronto, and sharing literary connections and enthusiasms as often as possible.

We enjoyed doing things together and sharing our quite separate cultural experiences as Canadians.

When we met, we were at the beginnings of our respective careers: he went on to become an outstanding entertainment lawyer in Toronto, while I became an English professor in Peterborough at Trent University. When you develop such a firm bond of interests you value every opportunity to get together.

The afternoon began as something of a personal test for me, as I hadn’t undertaken the drive to the big city on my own for a couple of years. How to get there unscathed and uncowed? Bypassing public transit options, I braved the busy (Highway) 401 in my aging Honda Accord and went south at Bayview Avenue in order to visit my daughter and her family before heading down to the waterfront and the ball game/party.

Happily, she was able to make some time from her work day to see me and the trip proved to be pretty smooth sailing, except for the very slow garbage trucks on two-lane streets south of Eglinton.

The party to celebrate Michael’s birthday was surprisingly well organized. Knowing his father’s love of baseball, Alexis chose the Rogers Centre and invited a number of........

© Peterborough Examiner