I started my 70th birthday yesterday morning (May 19) the usual way: without the enjoyable annual fanfare of early-morning calls from colleagues at media houses ringing-in to help me wring-in my birthday with greetings ten days too-early by Google — and requesting interviews.
Instead, the day dawned with just-a-few greetings from those who knew – and those I reminded, lest they accused me of letting them forget, more out of amnesia than the selective version of that forgetful illness.
My bright Earth-Day was ignited by a real-time exchange with my sons and daughter abroad, joined at home by the only son left on island, as they did what we do every year: sharing the birthday between dad, daughter and sons, this time Dad’s achievement of the Biblical three-score-and-ten.
Normally, they’d call me at midnight on May 18 – the date of my father’s death – to start the day he gave me life, which made me give them life – and made them make me a grand-dad, several times over.
My only daughter also happens to be my first-born child (42 years ago) and my second is my first boy — and so is my third – so, while speaking to one in Canada, one in Germany and the third in the USA, I mentioned that they’re ‘My three firsts’ (first daughter and first two boys, the latter from two mothers).
The powers of IT today also assured that while I sat in my kitchen soaking-in the good vibes on the screen in my hand with my son riding to work in Hamburg, the other son driving to the airport in New York and my daughter walking to work in Toronto – and my last son joining us while taking my last grand-daughter to nursery school – at which point I asked each to take ‘a screenshot for history’.
My birthday is also linked to my first grand-daughter’s because – now with her mum – she is actually celebrating her birthday today – May 20.
And then there’s the ‘lifelong-ing’ connection between me and my grand-children – one in Canada, two in Germany and one at home – the four more loves of my life, each of whose birth erased five years from my actual age, making me actually feel 20 years younger today.
As per usual, I spent yesterday at home welcoming the congrats while planning for today, when an old friend – an old man of the sea like me, but much my senior – called to invite me to invite some old friends for us to spend another birthday at sea on his super-fast speedboat (appropriately named ‘Aquaholic’ for the specific Marigot mission that normally changes the bay’s colour – at least in our eyes…)
But I had to meet my extended Chronicler’s deadline for The VOICE at midday, so, only halfway through my big day, I decided to only submit the first half of this article to say I just want to celebrate another day of living…