Happy Birthday to Me!

          Today, September 12^th, is my birthday.   I share this illustrious day with such notables as Jennifer Hudson, Paul Walker, Ruben Studdard,  and Yao Ming, although every one of them had the nerve to pick a more recent year than mine.

          On the other hand, there are people with my same birthday who are waaay older than me, including Barry White, H.L. Mencken, Jesse Owens, George Jones, Maurice Chevalier, and Lorenzo de’ Medici— of whom I am gratefully younger.  Especially Medici.

          I don’t know if you like your own birthday, but I always regretted that mine fell so close to the beginning of school, making it hard to compile a birthday party list. 

It also meant I was youngest in my class for my entire educational career, and gave me the impression that I would always be the youngest person in the room.  This has become a hilarious miscalculation in recent years.

And, since school had started, it wasn’t really a summer birthday.  On the other hand, it was too early to be an autumn one.  Do you wear a sweater or not?  Shorts or long pants?  Order an ice cream cone or hot chocolate?

     Despite any misgivings, I think we all harbor a secret love of our birth day, no matter which one it is.  It’s the day we get presents, blow out candles, and celebrate with loved ones.  Sure, we age, but it beats the alternative.  And, just in case you’re now scrambling for a last-minute gift for me, the birthstone for September is the sapphire.  Just saying.

Or, you could order one of my books—what a fun gift that would be.  Visit my website here, then click on “books” and shop to your heart’s content!