Forty-Three Candles

“Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.” --Unknown, found inside an Honest Tea cap

I love my birthday. I always have. I’m actually a little mystified when people aren’t, to paraphrase John Denver, turned on by thinking of growing old. Oh, sure, these days my body has aches it didn’t have before, losing weight takes actual planning and dedication, and the approach of January 17 is cause for the retrospective mantra mutter: “What have I done with life, really?” Still, I love the hell out of my birthday.

Man, the memories of the past birthdays. One of my birthdays -- it must have been when I was 5 --  we lived in Charleston, SC and Mom managed to get a woman who hosted a local kids television show to come to my party. She dressed like an Indian (we could say Indian back then) and her name was Happy Raine. Ms. Raine showed us cartoons and gave me a giant Tootsie Roll filled with candy. Nana and Pop-Pop taking a group of kids to see  Disney’s Robin Hood when I turned 7 is another good one. That one was while Mom was getting a divorce from my ex-father. We were living with my grandparents in Atlanta while all that mess happened. There was my tenth birthday which was celebrated in Panama, Central America on our back patio bordered by plantain trees, mere feet from the jungle. I wore a Fonzie shirt because Dad had -- well, has -- his hair cut like him (as a point of clarification, "Dad" is my step-father), a family friend gave me a mix cassette that included “Disco Duck” in Spanish, and things seemed to be on track for going steady sometime in the future with Lisa Gonzalez. As we said back then, “Far out!” (There he is again. For you kids who might not know, that expression was made famous by Mr. Denver.)

I could go on, but I know you’re already eyeing the Manhunt advertisement above and wondering what it’s all about, but indulge me for one more memory. My 40th birthday at The Peacock Room in Orlando. Something told me I needed to make a big deal of it; it turned out to be the last one I would celebrate with Mom. Particularly poignant for me since I view the day as much hers as it is mine. If mentioning the late great John Denver more than once hasn't gotten you thinking, then maybe mentioning that party will. The point is simple: You never know, so embrace each year.

In the wake of Mom's passing, I've let the past couple of birthdays go by quietly, but approaching year 43 I decided to turn things up a notch or two and do something a little different. I’m turning my birthday into a fundraiser. I’m seeing more and more people do this sort of thing with their anniversaries, bah mitzvahs, weddings, and birthdays and I think it’s a great idea. Have you ever bought something for someone and wondered what the fate of the present would be? Maybe you would visit them at their next yard sale and there would be the karaoke machine you thought would be just perfect for them, still in the box. With a  fundraiser, there’s no hurt feelings.

This is my first time making my birthday an out-and-out fundraiser, but I had a humanitarian element to one of my previous birthdays. Back before my friend Greg Triggs grew up and moved to New York City, we used to celebrate our birthdays together since his is the day before mine. For one of our birthdays we asked people to bring things to donate to a local AIDS organization's pantry. We were able to donate a ton of stuff, thanks to our friends. I was the one who delivered everything to the organization and I got a hero’s welcome, which is a pretty nifty birthday gift.

I’m working with some fellow alums from Rollins College to raise money to put new chairs and risers in our  alma mater’s black box theatre called the Fred Stone Theatre. In addition to being used for classes, the theatre hosts a student produced series of works that tend to be slightly edgier than the offerings of the main stage series in the venerable Annie Russell Theatre. The theatre should have a capacity of 100 and now is less than 50 due to wear and tear -- and the remaining chairs need replacing. We are in the beginning stages of the fundraiser, so I thought having a benefit could give us a starting base.

So, you are cordially invited to the Cushies for Tushies Birthday Benefit at Sip Orlando on Saturday, January 16 from 5:00-8:00 PM. There’s no cover, but you’re welcome to make a donation to The Fred Stone Seating Project. The fundraising portion of the evening will be through a silent auction of awesome prizes and we’ll be doing a 50/50 raffle. To get a full list of items, just click on the Facebook event link and if you’re on Facebook, let me know you’re coming!


Think you have what it takes to save the world? Then join us as we walk around Lake Eola in downtown Orlando for AIDS Walk Orlando 2010 raising money for Hope & Help. Click the link, fill out your information, then select that you’re joining a team and you’ll see "Watermark - Scottie Saves the World" as a choice in the drop down menu. If you walking isn’t your bag, you can also donate to our team.