Today is Elvis’ birthday. I am not a huge fan but, I do acknowledge his contribution to music. Even for those that dislike Elvis there is no denying his impact which stems from him formulating the earliest from of “rock” music. Elvis’ music was a blend of county, rhythm & blues and gospel influences performed with a flair not often seen.
Other famous people born on this day include R. Kelly (musician), David Bowie (musician), Robby Krieger (The Doors guitarist), Stephen Hawking (physicist) and James Longstreet (Confederate General with Robert E. Lee in the U.S. Civil War).
By some strange cosmic conscience (or practical joke) I was also born on this day. Make no mistake, I have no delusions of picking up a guitar to sing and swoon millions of female fans into a hysteria, writing a book on theoretical physics or working side-by-side with a Civil War Era general.
Unlike Elvis birthday celebrations that take place throughout the world or the festivities of other luminaries born on this day, my birthday parties have always been smaller in scale…much smaller. Comparing the size of my birthday celebrations is like comparing the Wachovia building downtown Asheboro, N.C. to the Empire State building in New York City.
For me, birthday celebrations started as the more innocuous (but memorable) pizza shop, superhero theme and video arcade variety. Later, these celebrations morphed into the alcohol and party game type that became a hallmark of my 20s.
A surprise 30th birthday bash my wife orchestrated was the kick off to my third decade and a memorable birthday occasion. The true genius of this affair was that we were about to move into our first house. In addition to packing for the move, my wife had me working like crazed handyman Ty Pennington on Extreme Makeover – Home Edition. My “honey-do” list included installing blinds, painting, hanging wallpaper and wiring ceiling fans in one weekend. The only clue that anything was amiss was the ill timed, premature exit (and resulting re-entry) of my wife’s friend as we were walking up to the front door of the property. This jaw dropping birthday celebration experience was further amplified by the attendance of out of state family and friends.
My most recent birthday experience that no other could hold a candle to (no pun intended) was the birth of our daughter. When my wife gave birth to our daughter, on this day, I had no earthly idea what kind of experience was ahead. Never mind that this miracle of life was the ultimate birthday present to me.
In very short time our bundle of joy has tripled in size, started walking, running, talking in two word phrases, and wearing glasses. That’s quite a list of accomplishments in a short time span.
Happy Birthday Elvis, Happy Birthday Little One.