Birthday Blog

Sixty-three years ago today I appeared in our world, several weeks early, tiny and underweight.  It wasn’t that I was unexpected; I just chose my own time and thought April Fools’ Day would be a momentous start.  I languished in the hospital in a private room for about a week before I was allowed to be taken home.  I was spoiled from the first day.

When I tell people my birthday is April 1st, they ask:  “Really?”  Would I make that up?  Growing up all my friends played pranks on me on my birthday.  I was naive and fell for their pranks year after year.  I learned to laugh at myself and that has been a valuable lesson throughout my life.   I used to be reluctant to tell people my birthday is April 1st but those days have faded into history.

Many well known folks have been born on April 1st including:  William Manchester, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Lon Chaney and Wallace Berry to name a few you may recognize.  They have in common a life in the arts.  I made my debut into the arts by publishing my debut novel, Murphy’s Troubles, in November 2013.   I am fortunate that the third act of my life that is creative, imaginative, expressive and fulfilling.

The origin of April Fools’ Day is shrouded in mystery and intentional misdirection.  It really doesn’t matter.  We have one day out of 365 devoted to humor, pranks, joviality, jokes,   and hoaxes.  I believe the world would be a better place if we had a few more April Fools’ Days.