On the morning of my birthday last month, I awoke to an emailbox full of greetings. One in particular caught my eye. It came from my globetrotting friend Marianne Cantwell who was in Bali recovering from a freak injury to her back.
The title line simply said A Birthday Surprise. I don’t remember what went through my mind as I opened her message, but what I found was truly a surprise.
Somehow, Marianne had gathered a wide array of people from around the world to send birthday greetings to me. If you haven’t seen the video, I urge you to check it out before you read the rest of this story.
Click on here for birthday video. Type in the password adventure (lower case).
As the day went on and phone calls joined the e-mail and postal mail greetings, I interrogated every one about their participation in the video surprise.
My sister Nancy had a great story about getting permission to have her picture taken from the rooftop of a restaurant in Athens. My friend Georgia in Sweden told me how she’d coached our mutual friend John in Minneapolis to get his picture included.
The stories went on and on. It was obvious that this project delighted the participants almost as much as it delighted me.
But there was one mystery. Who was that cute little surfer wishing me a happy birthday from Costa Rica? I couldn’t think of a soul I knew who lived there.
When I talked to Marianne, she was evasive. “I had to cheat a bit on that one,” was all she’d admit.
Then last Saturday, I had the pleasure of spending several hours with Marianne who had landed in California for a short stay. As we sat listening to the surf on the beach in Ventura, I asked her again to reveal his identity.
She hedged for a moment, then said, “He’s an entrepreneur.”
I laughed out loud. “How do you happen to know him?”
Her answer surprised and pleased me. “I found him on Fiverr,” she said. “I realized we didn’t have anyone on the video representing South America so I went looking for someone there.
“He and his father do this together and will record a message and send it for five dollars.”
Clever Marianne. Clever surfer dude and dad.
Don’t you love entrepreneurial creativity in action? I predict they all have a bright future.
What an absolutely joyful story! I hadn’t seen the video before and it brought tears to my eyes and made me laugh out loud here in the middle of my office.
Thank you so much for sharing it, Barbara. This landmark year has certainly started on a positive note for you.
What a lovely and loving gift! Thank you for sharing – it was a true joy. and happy belated birthday!