Wonderful Weirdos Day |

I never knew this. But, today, which is my birthday, is known as Wonderful Weirdos Day.

And, given that the concept is to celebrate today by being weird, I am sure I fit in well. Not because I dress weirdly, but I generally follow my own beat and do things my own way.

The concept wasn’t a creation of Hallmark (which is always seeking ways to sell us more greeting cards), but Tom Roy, born in Philadelphia who moved to become an actor in New York, conceived the day in Austin, Texas in 2000. (That’s when Austin adopted the slogan “Keep Austin Weird”.)

Austin, Texas, prides itself on being kind of weird — doing things differently. It’s a place where a Cathedral of Junk can become a must-see attraction. So it’s not surprising that a group of Austin residents suggested an unofficial holiday encouraging everyone do the same. To celebrate, be a little wacky. Wear mismatched clothes or try an unusual hairstyle. And do it, as Austinites do, with pride.

(Just so you know, my birthday is also known as Teddy Bear Day- which may also be appropriate since my grandfather was so involved with Teddy Roosevelt.)

Back to Wonderful Weirdo Day. I think it would be fun if everyone let loose today, doing all kinds of strange things with friends and at work. And, we should share those activities (via pictures and posts) to induce others to join in.

I also plan to celebrate my birthday with friends, and since its Friday (which means Shabat starts tonight), there’ll be a special dinner for us to enjoy.

And, I will share a few personal things with y’all today.

Like this little ditty that has been among the bywords of my life. (אם אין אני לי…מי לי?) Im Eyn Ani Li, Mi Li…

The song is really a synopsis of the teachings of Rav Hillel, one of our esteemed leaders. As a matter of fact, it’s pretty clear that Rav Hillel must have met another famous guy, Jesus of Nazareth, since Jesus’ concept of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is actually the thoughts of Hillel. (What exactly did Rav Hillel say? When a ruler demanded he be told the essence of Judaism while standing on one foot- he rejoindered, “That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Tora, and the rest is its interpretation”.)

As I said, those words from Rav Hillel became one of the key phrases of my life…Be for yourself, but not only for yourself. And, get things done- now. No excuses.

I also taught this ditty to my children. And, given what’s going on in America (and the world), it would do all of us some good to adopt this philosophy of life. We need to take issues to the fore- but remember that there are others whose considerations must also be included. And, there is no time like now to get things done. This is the essence of my being- to make this world a better place, each and every day.

There’s another song that is the soundtrack of my life, one I learned when I had the opportunity to go to college as a very young boy- back then it was a community college, the Agricultural College at Farmingdale. Back then, Long Island really did have a slew of farms. Now, this college is a full-fledged university, SUNY [State University of New York] at Farmingdale.

The goal of this program was to teach us (a bunch of young precocious 10 year olds) that we could do anything we wanted- as long as we worked out a plan. Amazingly, this same song – High Hopes- became the theme song for my revered Phillies, when they went from last place to the World Series in 1993. (I am hoping this year they will be competing once again in this event!)