“What protocols are you following?” It’s an appropriate question - especially now. When making an appointment or reservation, ask the question. Where appropriate, most establishments have precautions in place, but I’ve seen that nothing should be taken for granted. I am shocked to learn that some establishments where one might reasonably expect to …
The other morning we sat down for our morning meditation. As we do every morning, Flo turned on the Calm app on her phone. But weird things ensued. The app kept crashing.After a few tries, we gave up and took an unguided moment to ourselves. Then Flo turned on the radio. NPR.Resigned that if we can’t have Calm, why not theanxiety of the news?A retu …
We’ve all been impacted over the last few months. Some routines and habits dropped and others formed.Most changes were imposed upon us by the shutdown and we adapted. Cardboard delivery boxes appeared at our doorstep in never-imagined numbers. Zoom replaced conference rooms, and on and on. But will these changes last?I often wonder what the new nor …
The current issue of The New Yorker arrived at our home the other morning. As is our practice, we allow our mail to “sit” for a day or so before handling it. The cover - see the picture - just stared at us from its perch on the floor.A picture we felt compelled to share.And when we picked up the magazine, we learned that thepainting on the cover is …
I’m not sure how many times I’ve seen the statue of Teddy Roosevelt in the front of the Museum of Natural History in New York City. The statue that is now being taken down.I first saw it as a child on one of the many trips I was taken on to the Museum. More recently, I passed it with a grandchild that I was taking to the Museum.I must have been exp …
In the midst of everything that is going on, we strive for a few moments of calm. Over the years, I’ve tried to adopt various forms of relaxation - unfortunately most efforts have not been successful.Recently, we came across the app “Calm” and have been using it every morning.Five minutes of guided meditation.Recognizing the need for calm was the f …
I’m still angry when I think about it — angry at myself.Several years ago, I was at a small wedding reception dinner and found myself at the bar with the father of the groom (I was from the bride’s side). I don’t remember much of the conversation except that he was talking about his background and used the Yiddish term (the “S” word) for a black pe …
What’s your background? As Zoom, Webex and other virtual meeting platforms become the new norm — they are here to stay— your background is bound to make a difference. Soon, if not here already, there will be sophisticated analyses of how your background impacts your presentation and message. I am not a fan of those artificial scenes. Somehow your …
I had my first Covid dream a few days ago. It was about reopening and returning to the office.... back to normal.There was an awareness of measures in place to safely return.At my office desk, I settled in and reacquainted myself with the security of surroundings that I was so accustomed to. A good feeling.But then I was struck by the absence of ma …
The little notification beep on my phone tells me that there’s motion in my backyard. Sometimes it’s the Cardinal enjoying a snack. Weeks ago, when this was just beginning, we put a little birdseed on the deck to see what would happen. After a few days the cardinals appeared. A sweet couple - bright red with a black face and soft brownish-red. They …
This blog is for both grandparents and their children. Being a Grandparent in this time of pandemic- with physical isolation and social distancing--is difficult. We also recognize that parenting young children in these times was tough on our children.A response has evolved.A while ago, I offered to “virtually babysit” my 3 year old grandson. Not th …
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Well most of us don’t take a lot of notice, especially in these work at home times. But every time I log onto a Zoom or WebEx meeting, for a brief few seconds, I see an image of myself, blown up in full color. It actually is a bit startling as this is really how others will see me. But what do you see of …
About a week ago, my friend, Gil, sent me the picture shown on this blog. Twenty people wearing masks over looking Jerusalem. Prophetic ? Not exactly…. We were on a trip to Israel with about twenty people. Two weeks of touring on a bus and meeting people. We didn’t know — until about the end of the first week, that we were an incubator for the Flu …
I’m being inundated with “advice”. It’s coming in all forms: emails, drop downs, alerts...online, on tv and radio, and by word of mouth from a safe distance. I admit. I cannot process all of this advice. I’m even having trouble sorting out what I may want to follow up on at a later time. Smothered by advice in the time of pandemic.
I am sitting in our living room and gaze across at the dining table which now serves as my office desk. (I’ve never spent so much time at the dining room table as I have during the last few weeks.) I also gaze upon the artwork that surrounds me and some of the studio glass in the room. There’s the Blue Cloud by the glass artist Nancy Callan. It w …
