It is happening more and more frequently. There was a time when people were reluctant to share their cell phone numbers. Perhaps less so now and people are more accepting of being reached on their cellphones. In any event, if I must speak to someone (as contrasted to email), I generally first try them on an office line (unless I have an established familiarity that the cellphone is best). However, if I know that a person is hard to reach and doesn’t return messages ...

Last Sunday, we attended New York’s Annual Gathering of Remembrance, in observance of Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day. One of the speakers was a Holocaust survivor who, like my mother, speaks to school children about her life. This woman took great pride in how, after surviving, she rebuilt her life and her family in the United States. The fact that she survived and prospered is her revenge for the atrocities she was subjected to. (I have always felt that, as a c...

Have you ever just wanted to be left alone? A little precious time. So it was when I went to the car wash recently. I took a book and  was so looking forward to those few minutes. I found my way to the waiting room with my book. “Nice day, isn’t it?” asked the woman who followed me into the waiting room. How to ignore her? Couldn’t. And I just wanted to be left alone. ...

Let’s share snow stories. Rarely do I ask for reader participation in my blogs, but as I sit at home watching the snow fall, I wonder how others faired through the storms of March 2018. Those in warmer climes are free to join in....but please be gentle... As for me, yesterday’s morning commute was memorable in the paucity of cars on the road. After cleaning a little snow and ice off the car, I made it to the office without incident. The office closed early and the drive home ...

I may have mentioned this before. One of the most memorable lines from my daughter, Mea, was her observation when she was five years old that “Music goes right to the heart.” The other evening, we saw “Farinelli and the King” a wonderful Broadway musical about a musical voice that quelled the craziness of King Philippe V of Spain. The power of music. It’s effect on us all. And I thought of the words of a five year old. ...

Last Sunday, we got to the museum a little early and found our way to the room. The leader of the workshop asked each of us to introduce ourselves and say what we expected from the workshop. “I’m Ben and I’m here to escape outside of my comfort zone.” It was a workshop in tie-dying at the Jewish Museum in New York and was given in conjunction with an exhibit at the Museum. Several hours later, after having experienced about as much about tie-dying as I’ll ever need to know...

Two blogs ago, I wrote about a view from a glove. Giving personality to inanimate objects is, for me, a wonderful little fantasy escape. An exercise in imagination. Feelings should abound and be enjoyed even by things. My fantasies were validated the other morning. We are lucky to have a wonderful glass sculpture that we call “Sunshine”. It’s a fairly large yellow droplet shape with streaks of white. It’s by a window and enjoys playing with the sunlight as it comes through...

Last Sunday, Flo and I were at a hardware store in Huntington, Long Island, just picking up a few things. As we got to the counter, the cashier informed us that he had to charge us 5 cents for a bag to pack our purchases. It was our first encounter with the new “bag law” that went into effect in Suffolk County on January 1st. “No, thank you. We have a reusable bag.” We answered. Flo and I always have a reusable bag handy. Flo had one in her purse, she always carries at le...

It’s cold, really cold, and one of the absolute necessities are gloves. But what’s it like from the viewpoint of a glove? “I like being needed, especially when the weather gets really cold. I feel appreciated. But one of the great occupational hazards of being a glove is being lost. I hate being taken for granted, neglected and lost. The worst is being left on the ground or in a parking lot. Very lonely and very little chance of every being found. However, it has happened. If...

Last Saturday, the Mediterranean Snack Bar in Huntington closed its doors - for good. It had been an institution for 43 years and, I can safely say that Flo and I have been eating at “Mediterranean” for a majority of those years. It was a safe place, good food, always welcoming and comforting. It’s the end of an era. I think back on other “institutions” that have come and gone. Some replaced, others always missed. A fitting reflection as we approach the end of the year....