Ah, April 1st. April Fool’s – and a day when radio people traditionally have gone out of their way to play tricks on listeners. I was never really good at it, not being great at keeping a straight face or telling a lie. (I’m the proverbial dog whose tail wags at the poker table.)
 
There are legends, of course, in the business, but none that stands the test of time quite as well as that of my former partner Mike Cooper and the 1976 stunt that had police officers flying down to 1050 CHUM’s studios on Yonge Street at 2 am, thinking an intruder had broken into the radio studios and shot Mike. It darned near cost Mike his job, but saner heads prevailed and he’s still standing – in more ways than one! Here’s a blog post I found with the details. Read on for producer Bruce Marshall’s insight as well. Like I said, legendary.
 
Mike was never one for looking back; when CHUM had reunions – on the air or off – he was reluctant to go and reminisce with co-workers or fans of that era of radio. He would always say to me that the best days are right now…and truly we both subscribed to the line from Carly Simon’s song “Anticipation”: “These are the good old days.” For the longest time, they were.
 
The trick to it all is recognizing the good days when you’re having them. As Rob gets set to mark another milestone-ish birthday this week (the one where the government starts sending cheques…gulp), my much older husband is staying positive: he’s continuing to take good care of himself, takes a lot of pride in his appearance and plays hockey every chance he gets. If turning 65 gives him pause in any way, he looks at, say, my dad who’s going to be 86 in two months and thinks what Dad wouldn’t give to be 65 again. It’s all perspective.
 
And if we just keep remembering that there’s a moment in every single day to cherish – even if it’s just that especially good cup of coffee or the sun shining through some April snow – then whether these truly are the “good old days” will be irrelevant. We can’t go back, so we look around and find gratitude. That’s a choice, no matter what life throws at us, right? (Can you tell I’ve taken up meditation again?)
 
Have a great day. Enjoy the moments.