What do you get for your mom on her birthday? If she’s anything like my mom, you probably have no idea what to get her. After all, she can already buy whatever she wants. Any gift you could get her would just be symbolic of the love you feel for her and gratefulness for having her in your life. If you’re like me, you probably don’t have the monetary wherewithal to get her a gift that is commensurate with the contributions she’s had to your life. I asked my mom what she wanted for her birthday, and she said for me to have a best-selling book.

A Best-Selling Book

At the top of her list was for me to have a best-selling book. I don’t have any control over that. I have to hope that people are going to pre-order the eBook or buy the paper back when it comes out on Amazon. It would take a concerted effort on the part of my friends and family to share and sell the book through Amazon, and even then, I’m not sure we could manage. Maybe my Peace Corps friends hear about the book and want to see what I wrote home about my experience. Maybe future volunteers want to know what it was like serving in Guinea. They are all part of a built-in audience. The problem is that everyone has to make their purchase on the same day. For the eBook that day is Dec. 28, 2020. The hard copy should be released around the same time.

Fuzzy Socks

She mentioned some other non-monetary things, like good health and happiness for me and my wife. And then she said, “Fuzzy socks.” I can do that. Fuzzy socks are the easiest thing on the list. Let’s just hope they’re not too ugly. (Happy Birthday, mom. Sorry if I spoiled the surprise. Love you.)