Every year I ignore my birthday until people close to me start to annoy me with it.
“What do you want for your birthday?”
“What are you going to do for your birthday? Something special?”
Then, on my birthday, no matter how nice they are, I find something to make me cry. (Does anyone else do this?) I vow to make today different. So I am announcing my birthday instead of ignoring it. Today, July 20, 2013, is my birthday. On my Facebook wall I put up a photo and a video commemorating the day.
And for y’all, I’m sharing a very short story I published on Cowbird a year ago. In a previous post about The Space Race I mentioned this event, but here is the full story.
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Apollo 11 Moon Landing: July 20, 1969
I was sitting at the end of the dock, draggling my feet through the lake water. Sometimes my toes caught on marsh grass. Behind me, Dad and his friends were grilling hot dogs and burgers just outside the screened porch. I could smell the singed meat and hear their beer-fueled laughter.
Mom called us to the table. As we approached, she placed a steaming bowl of corn-on-the-cob on the oilcloth. Salads and paper plates had already been set out by the ladies.
Everyone gathered around the picnic table. I noticed Dad disappear into the house, but we all sat—causing the table to first lean to one side, then the other—and heaped our plates full. Everyone talked so fast and loud, excited by the summer’s heat and the waterskiing and, for the adults, the beer.
The ear of corn on my plate dripped butter and I longed to sink my teeth into it. As I went to bite, I remembered my braces. I hesitated because, at fourteen, I already felt awkward. Not yet pretty and feminine, but no longer a careless child. My features had grown large on my narrow face, and my skin shone like greasy wax paper.
I felt the wires bend as my teeth plowed into the cob. I made a mental note to keep my mouth closed so nobody could see all the corn stuck in my braces.
Dad carried our 9” portable TV to the table and plugged it in under the window to the kitchen. He seemed focused, as though he’d thrown off the beer effect.
On the screen, we watched the hazy shapes of astronauts positioning our flag on the moon. Everyone stopped talking. We heard a motorboat in the distance, off in the horizon, but up around the tiny television, everyone was drawn like moths to the porch light.
Eventually my mother remembered and brought out the white cake with fourteen candles staked like individual flagpoles. They turned down the volume to sing “Happy Birthday” to me, then turned it back up and listened to Houston’s excitement.
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WRITING PROMPT: Write about a memory you have of a historical event, but focus on your life during the event, not the event itself.
Luanne Castle's Writer Site 
What a great writing prompt – and what a lovely example you’ve provided with your story.
Thank you so much, Ellen. I hope it’s useful to people!
Good one, Luanne. What a memorable birthday! Mine is a week after yours and I do basically the same (forget about it until everyone else nags me into acknowledging it) but I’ve never had a moon landing on my birthday. Happy birthday!!
Thanks, Anneli! The moon landing was definitely memorable!
Lovely story.
I hate my birthday, too. In 2000 , just as my husband, son and I were going to celebrate it a few days early (not on a school night), I got word that my sister Judy had died. Two days later, on my actual birthday Jacob and I traveled from Geneva to Florida to bury her. And every single person who looked at my passport said: “happy birthday; are you traveling to spend it with family?”
Ummm, yeah.
Happy birthday!
Thanks, Elyse. I’m so sorry about your sister. It sounds like it was at least a bit unexpected. What a tragic event to have happen so close to your birthday.
Let’s start with HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I think that makes us both Cancers.
So cool that you wrote a story that fit the prompt to a T. i love this story.
Have a great day,
Patti
Moon children–what a great sign, eh? Thanks so much, Patti!
Yes, we are the Moon children. My mom and both my grand daughters too.
I’m a non-typical reclusive and traveling moon.
It is the best sign:>)
I think so! Wow, you have a lot of us in your family. I think I am the only one!
What a neat memory and essay — so fresh! And so are you.
Haha, I feel fresh once in a while, until I look in the mirror ;). Thanks, Wilma!
Thanks for a great story. Birthdays change so much as we age. The only thing special I do is not go to work.
Balvah, I’m glad you get to take off work for your birthday! That’s something right there! Thanks for reading.
Happy Birthday, Luanne! I loved reading your story. Cheers!
Thanks so much for reading it, Polly!!
Here’s to your day; Happy Birthday!
Thank you so very much for the wishes!
Happy Belated Birthday, Princess! Jill and Barry
You were still on time, Jill and Barry :). Thanks, guys!
Love your post, I hope you have a great birthday. My birthday is Thursday and I love nothing more than ignoring it.
Well, now on Thursday, try announcing it instead and you might be surprised. I didn’t cry all day!
Great story, Luanne! Thank you so much for posting. Happy birthday to you! I hope you had a wonderful day. My birthday is on Monday….we’re moon sisters!
Moon sisters–I love that! Thanks, Jill!
Love the story and I totally get the crying on uour birthday thing 🙂 I hope you had a great day
Haha, I knew somebody would! So by announcing it yesterday, embracing it in a way, I didn’t cry! Thanks so much!
Happy belated Birthday!
Thanks so much, Sheri!
Happy belated birthday! I enjoyed the story and hope you were happy yesterday and throughout the new year! I always feel a “clean slate” starts every year we begin again! Your fourteenth birthday picture you drew for us was so special! Love the moon and U. S. flag posting added to the story! Awesome!
Happy belated birthday… I’m catching up on reading blogs, after being blotto with flu for a week…
I remember my fourteen year old daughter solemnly scraping off the glistening yellow blobs from the corn cob, as she wrestled with her braces…
Your description brought it back so vividly !
Ah, thank you, Valerie. I’m so sorry you were struck down by the nasty bug. Thank you for saying the post brought back your memory–that’s what I love to hear :)!
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Happy -very belated- birthday 🙂
Thank you!! That makes it feel like my bday again!