By the time you read this I will be a member of royalty. Now, I’m an American-born 70-year-old former New York City cab driver from humble, blue-collar beginnings, so learning I’m royalty might cause a tremor of doubt in your mind. I understand.

Nevertheless, tis true.

   England’s King Charles has his crown, his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II (and a childhood crush of this writer) had hers. Queen Victoria of England had hers, Henry VIII, William the Conqueror. Each had a crown of their own.

   So, check this out. This Monday just past, I got, not one crown, but four crowns in a row.

Four crowns, in one day!

Granted, they happen to be four crowns placed on four of my front teeth, but I consider this a minor detail.

We Americans are defined by our freedom to be the individuals we are. We are shaped by the independence of our minds, along with the individuality we’ve each been given.

We Americans are not beholden to any crown anywhere. That’s why we keep our crowns indoors, on our teeth. We’re not showoffs when it comes to our crowns. We try and stay humble. The correct term is, American Modesty.