This blog is written with my wife Joanne’s permission because, at times, she is forgetful and relies on me to remind her of things. We good naturally refer to this practice as her short term Rent-A-Memory and it is my pleasure!I still have lots of room in my memory bank and I remember much. I awakened to Jackie Robinson’s earth shaking/game changin …
One the easiest, yet most positive things a person can do is just say Thank You!Not “no problem”, just a heart felt expression of appreciation and gratitude. Say it. It rolls off your tongue easily: Thank You!I recently was the beneficiary of 2 such expressions of gratitude and they felt SO good. I did not expect them and they really were not ne …
It seems that this is the season for the expression of very strong opinions about everything that swirls around us. A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about Typhoid Mary because she was asymptomatic and compared her to those today who are asymptomatic for Covid19 and used this as a set up to implore folks to wear masks. I was taken aback by the vig …
FDR famously said in his 1933 inaugural address: The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. To me his meaning was that no matter how dire the situation may appear fear can only make things worse. With all that is swirling around us in these scary times, 2020 will surely rank amongst the worst years of the 21st century. I fear, you fear, …
Some day we will look back upon these unprecedented times and the beginnings of new norms and habits. Such a long view is not necessarily for me, but one thing has emerged for me. I have converted my 2 hour commuting time productively. Yes I Zoom (not my favorite pastime), but, best of all, I have started to nap. As soon as 11:30 rolls around, …
Her name was Mary Mallon and she was a rich man’s cook in the early 20th century. Trouble was that she was an asymptomatic carrier of Typhoid Fever. She denied being “sick” all her life, but she was caught up in the conflict between public health and individual rights. She ended up living out her life in isolation. Some of us may be asymptomati …
While walking Charcoal the other day I came upon the pictured sign. As soon as I spied it my blogger juices began to flow and I quickly captured the pictured image. What a stark, yet elegant statement! Kindness is defined as follows: In these unprecedented difficult days we should all aspire to be kind or more kind as the case may be. As we can …
It’s 7 years now that Charcoal (our 14 pound hypo allergenic Schnoodle) has resided with us and abided by our wonderful unspoken Bargain. In return for 2 feedings a day, walks whenever she gives me “the look”, post walk treats, bimonthly groomings and water in her dish she serves as our undocumented Therapy Dog with lavish lap time, watch dog duty …
Last year at this time I was watching Aaron Judge and my Yankees every night and getting ready for my softball season with my son and grandson. This year I am watching Ozark, Bosch and Outlander after a hard day of Zooming and mask and glove wearing. Next year? I want my Life back!
Back in the day there was a character (pictured) in the Little Abner comic strip who walked around with a perpetual black cloud hanging over his head. His name was Joe Btfsplk. In sum, he was bad luck and brought it on to others. I encountered Joe at a young and impressionable age and have carried his dark image through out my life. To say the …
1) Our Freedom 2) Our Health3) Our Future4) Our Healthcare providers5) Our interactions6) Our Outlook7) Our leaders8) Our jobs9) Our Families10) Our investments11) Our conveniences12) and?
People will rush out into the streets with joy and embrace each other! We will have new appreciations of life and humanity! Many many more will continue to work from home! We will have heightened appreciation of public servants, especially those in healthcare! Leadership will have greater importance! The handshake will become an historical anomaly …
Monday was another birthday. I was born 2,461,622,400 seconds ago in a raging, flash, New York City snow storm at Women’s Hospital. I came in an innocent at the weight of 9 pounds 8 ounces. Little did I know! My life’s dark corner stones: Pearl Harbor, “JFK Shot!”, 9/11 and now this presently incurable Pandemic! What next? It can only get bett …
We are all in this together and thank you to "Bill Gates" for helping us to find meaning in it. Please see his thoughts below and ponder: *What is the Corona/ Covid-19 Virus Really Teaching us?* I’m a strong believer that there is a spiritual purpose behind everything that happens, whether that is what we perceive as being good or being ba …
No doubt, we are experiencing trying and unprecedented times. We are advised to hunker down and self quarantine to “Flatten The Curve” of the out of control Coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile we find empty supermarket shelves as panicked people instinctively hoard. Gloria Gaynor famously sang “I Will Survive” and we will too. As I emailed on Fr …
Fridays With Fred
A perfect way to send you into your weekend