People, Places, and Things

People, places, and things, running through my mind today. So many people I think about daily, so many places I’ve been to or want to see. So many things I want, or already possess. I wish I could gather everyone together in one place, to visit, catch up or just be together. Places of my past that hurt to think about, places I want to heal, and experience with different eyes. Places in my future, I want to run to and experience now what they hold for me down the road. Things from my childhood I cherish today and willingly carry into my tomorrow. People, places, and things act as mile markers for our lives. As people from our past leave, the road ahead seems somewhat uncertain unless the marker they left for us is clear and precise. The places are the experiences we’ve had along the way that cause us to broaden our vision and enable us to remain steadfast in our pursuit of a new horizon. The things are what we have taken with us to illuminate even the darkest places. People come and go, and regardless of the length of their stay, the footprints they leave remain long after the waves have crashed the shoreline to saturate the sand. Places in our minds, where we run for solace, beckon us to come amid life’s clutter. The things are the nuggets of gold we carry in the pocket of our heart, whose value increases with time. We all have people, places, and things that make us who we are. But have you ever stopped to entertain the thought, that you are an important person, that you have created a safe place for others, and that you hold the things in your heart that others need and desire? It’s a very simple yet profound dynamic, that we see the worth of others with clarity, and we struggle to see with that same clarity our worth to others. It’s not egocentric to assume your place in the lives of others, it’s essential. Be that person, in that Place, willing to offer all Things all the time.

My Big Sister

The other day I found out that my big sister has cancer. We don’t know much in the way of a prognosis at this time, but we will learn more after her Oncologist visit next week in Reno, Nevada. It seems so cruel and unethical (to me) for a Nurse Practioner to give that kind of news over the phone. But then again, maybe it beats waiting even another day to hear your biopsy results. I can only imagine what was going through her mind as she was told the news. Not long ago, cancer was a death sentence with no hope. I know for a fact after seeing my dad and brother go through cancer treatments, great medical strides have been made in the area of oncology. She has Endometrial cancer or cancer of the uterus. Endometrial is not a word that ever vibrated my vocal cords before, but I’m sure in time it will be a frequently used word in my lexis. Like I told her on the phone the other night, this is a dark time right now, devoid of any real hard facts or a game plan. In due time, everything will reveal itself in the light of truth and information. The fear will give way to understanding, and understanding will usher in the determination to battle this foe. My sister is tough, a fighter, and a survivor. Right now she doesn’t feel that way through the tears, but even the strongest warriors have tears. Fear comes from that which is unknown, security comes through knowledge and the revelation of truth. There is no shame in tears, no condemnation for the hopeless thoughts that initially come with news of this magnitude. But I know in time, this will be a valuable and precious time for her to grow as a person, a woman, and as a member of a family that loves her dearly. We Love You, Dee!

Sports Fan

It sure was tough rolling out of bed at 4:45 Tuesday morning. Especially after a long Columbus Day weekend. Staying up late for Monday Night Football didn’t help either. But it was well worth the lack of sleep seeing my beloved Miami Dolphins win. Not that I’m such a “Big” sports fan, but I do love my teams. Monday night was a good night for me sports-wise. The New York Rangers won 7-2 over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and of course, my Dolphins beat the New York Jets 31-27 in the upset of the year. The Yankees are having a great season, but I have to say that baseball has had its day with me. I do watch it, but only when the Yanks are on, and there is nothing better to do. Rangers Hockey and Dolphins Football have priority. I have been known in the past to plan life’s events around the games. But now I don’t think my wife would understand that for one minute and rightly so! Many have asked me why I am a Miami Dolphins fan. I was born at Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida so it was natural when the Dolphins came to the AFL in 1966 that I would root for them. Plus the fact, that my Dad was glued to the television on Sunday afternoons watching the Dolphins play. I loved those times watching with him, and I even learned my present-day style of yelling at the referees through the TV from him. I always think of him when I watch and wonder if he is staying up late to watch, or if the game is on in Virginia. Sometimes I call him to see if he is watching too. Sometimes I forget. I became a New York Rangers fan in 1972, the year I moved from Katonah to Chappaqua, New York. I met a girl named Laurel at my bus stop. She always talked about the Rangers and made hockey sound so exciting. I always thought Hockey was some “Communist Sport”, and never paid it much attention. Back in those days, we didn’t have Cable TV on Hog Hill Road. We lived too far off the main road, where the cable was just making its way to the area. Laurel’s family had Cable, and she would occasionally invite me over to watch games. I think at first I was more amazed at how clear the picture was, as opposed to the fuzzy picture we got at home from the antenna received broadcasts. After a while I started really getting into the games, listening to the radio and dancing around my room when the Rangers would score a goal. I still do a bit of dancing when they score, but I would say it is much more subdued. So now I have DIRECTV, I can watch every game. They even rebroadcast the games again if I miss the live game. What a great thing…or is it? Maybe too much time and money are spent on sports. That was the thing that got me about baseball. It’s a kid’s game for crying out loud! We grew up playing ball in an empty lot where we had to run around the tall grass to flatten it down enough so we could see each other. Hopefully, we would catch every fly ball so we would not lose the ball in that sea of green. It would take forever to find it, if at all. If our radar was not working that day, we would have to head home. More than likely it was the only ball we had. I always felt bad leaving the ball behind. I thought it would get lonely out there on its own. Of course, we would always find another ball in the high grass that we lost a few days ago, it would weigh 50 pounds from all the water it retained while it was hiding from us. After a few days in the hot summer sun and it was dry enough, and not as slippery for our small hands to use in one of our big games. Today you watch a Major League game and every pitch that the ball touches the ground the Umpire throws it out of play. We would have killed to have a dry ball and only a speck of dirt on it. We would play in the light of the nearby street lights along Anderson Road. Katonah, New York is where I learned to play baseball. I can remember like it was yesterday, my dad throwing “high pops” at my best friend Brucie and me. Neither one of us could catch to save our lives. Brucie caught more than one on the top of the head, while it seemed I favored to let the ball hit my forearm or wrist ‘til my hand went numb. We eventually got the hang of using our gloves to catch and went on to be pretty good ballplayers. A few years later, Brucie and I were asked to play on an All-Star Team with the “Older Boys”. I was so proud of Brucie and me, as we played together on that diamond. In our minds, it was our moment playing a World Series Game at Yankee Stadium. Today grown men are paid millions of dollars to play a kid's game. We played for the love of the game. Some in the majors still do. Derek Jeter is a great ambassador for the game with his enthusiasm and skill. He remembers Joe DiMaggio’s advice that there are kids out there seeing him play for the first time, so play with the enthusiasm of your first game, every game. And he does. It's guys like him that give the game that old-time appeal. Hopefully, there is more of his brand of ballplayer coming down the pike, or sadly America will lose its favorite pastime to corporate greed, and other distractions. So am I a sports fan...probably not. Maybe it’s just the nostalgia of it all. I guess for me watching my team brings back a bit of the innocence of my childhood. Simpler days of sitting in the living room with my dad, or the pure adrenalin rush as Rangers radio man Marv Albert’s voice raised an octave just before he uttered the sweetest words “He shoots…he scores!.” I guess I love the seamless tradition of sports, at least with my teams. The Dolphins, Rangers, and Yankees have changed their uniforms very little if any over the years, and I like that. A constant, lineal reminder of a time long ago that eases us ever so gently into the future. So maybe I am a sports fan, it’s not such a bad thing after all.

Suburbia and Beyond

Monday morning is a quiet time just to sit and think about what I am feeling today. I dread the fact that it is only Monday, and the weekend flew by in what seems the blink of an eye. Veronika and I took a trip to Brooklyn, New York on Sunday to just relax a bit on the boardwalk, and take some of the sights. Brighton Beach is such an interesting place with all its Russian culture, and beautiful architecture. It is always a challenge to find parking, but I guess that is part of the allure. I live in the quiet suburb of Chappaqua, New York where life is somewhat subdued and uneventful. I enjoy being out of my element from time to time. It stretches me beyond my comfort zone and forces me to live in the moment. Back in Chappaqua, life is pretty much the routine of work, sleep, and eating. It can become monotonous, so it’s wonderful to experience other places and cultures to stimulate the mind. Since marrying Veronika last May, I have noticed my transformation from the cocoon of bachelorhood to life as a somewhat culturally aware married man. We have visited museums, zoos, and exhibits, and spent time in Times Square just people-watching. We have been to “Ground Zero” together and walked the streets of Greenwich Village. We even stood outside “Carrie Bradshaw’s” apartment in the West Village. The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts was a fun little jaunt into small-town New England. I had forgotten that there is a whole other world out there, outside my protective bubble. So much to see and experience right in my own backyard. It’s interesting to think that people have traveled halfway across the globe to experience the places that are within my reach. I owe the cultural awakening to my wife. I love experiencing these places with her and observing through her eyes. Like the time she stumbled upon one of Van Gogh’s self-portraits for the first time, she stopped and turned away as she was not ready to see such a masterpiece, and prepared herself for the moment So many places around us that we should experience, but because we are always looking beyond our immediate field of view, we step over the wonderful experiences right before us. If there is any place you’ve ever wanted to go, even the biggest tourist traps, I encourage you to go. Maybe you’ve never seen the “World’s Largest Twine Ball” in Darwin, Minnesota, or The Grand Canyon National Park in Williams, Arizona, Mount Rushmore in Rapid City, South Dakota, Washington, DC, or even local historical sites, find some time to visit. Stretch yourself beyond your daily living, you will feel profoundly connected, and you will become a better person for it!

Fall Apples

A rainy Sunday morning, beautiful in so many ways. It is a day of rest reinforced by the rain halting most outdoor activities. Some of the maple trees in the area have begun the slightest hints of changing their color. With the cooler temperatures that come with fall, it’s nice to wear that fleece jacket that has been hanging in the closet all spring and summer. I can’t wait for all the colors to change, the signal that the winter snows are just around the corner. The Holidays have special meaning this year, opportunities for cherished memories and traditions with my wife Veronika, sharing and celebrating them together for the first time. We went apple picking the other day in the cool crisp air. It was such a walk in the past for me. Outhouse Orchards in North Salem, New York was more of an event than it was just a place to buy some apples. They had hayrides and BBQ pits with succulent turkey legs for sale. Funnel cakes, fresh doughnuts, and little kids running around wide-eyed through an acre of pumpkins. That’s how I remember it when I was a kid. Life was so much simpler when I thought everything was free, not having a clue that Mom & Dad paid for everything. Even now, paying $20.00 for a bag of apples seems like such a bargain for a walk in the past. I guess I’m just a country boy at heart. Longing for the simpler days when we were happy with what little we had. I’m thankful to my parents that they never just gave me everything I had. If I wanted something, I had to earn it. I remember the first car I bought, a 1970 Chevy Impala. I had to make the money myself and shell out the $300.00 for it. I appreciated it, it was mine. There’s a lot to be said for earning what you have. Too many today feel entitled to whatever they want, and in that mindset forget the fact that someone had to earn what they got for free. You see, a rainy Sunday can give me too much time to think about things as well. Sometimes I think that the biggest problem living in the present is having the history of the past. Remembering how things used to be can sicken me when I see what’s going on around me. Don’t get me wrong, we have made great strides as a people in so many ways. We do live in exciting times for sure, but we all have to admit that they are not simpler times. But that’s life as they say, and I am a firm believer in the saying, “You get what you put into it.” I hope you have plenty of input in your life today, and maybe along the way you can take just a little time to pick some apples.