I’ll paraphrase from the Hebrew: “How good and pleasant it is ... people sitting together.”Meaningful on so many levels - both figuratively and literally - especially now.The thoughts came to me last weekend as we sat on a lawn at the Clark Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts and listened to live music.The first live performance that we’ve see …
After a long summer filled with sweet treats, hot eats and endless glasses of wine, it’s time to clean up my diet. Every October, I push the reset button on my food choices and dial everything down. Exercise daily, bedtimes that provide 7-8 hours, balanced schedules of work and play, makes for a healthy, wealthy life. Fundamentals give us a baselin …
I do that a lot these days. Most times, one of my blessings is that I have so many on my list! A nice place to be. On this week’s blessing list is my mom. We just celebrated her birthday (and in family tradition I am not allowed to publish exactly which one . . .) Occasions bring reflection. I know that my mom taught us all how to love and …
This weekend was a special birthday for my husband. He turned 60 on Saturday. Exactly a year ago, I conceived a plan for the perfect surprise party for this weekend. Covid changed all of that and, instead, I planned small surprises throughout the weekend for him. I was excited to give my husband a surprise party. I have had one surprise party du …
A time existed – it seems many years ago – where a laptop and desktop took up space in this office. The office featured a different configuration; there was my desk and the desk setup my son left behind when he moved out. At some point, the desktop no longer served any purpose. I even lent indefinitely the flatscreen to a close friend. While a c …
I know it's Saturday but yesterday at the end of the work day I Zoomed into the Gotham Happy Hour. I should join in more often but work for me these days takes up a lot of head space and time. The Gotham Happy Hour is very special, especially these past weeks because Norm is the official sponsor. This time he brought in Willa, who is a fantastic …
I believe it is more than the survival instinct or rationalization that causes me to seek out and see silver linings in this depressing time of horrible pandemic. Do you see any silver linings?I see many. Some are small steps, some should have happened before and some are seismic shifts, but all are moves in a positive direction. One obvious and v …
For years I have wanted to attend a service given by our friend who is a cantor at a large congregation outside of Detroit. The obvious hurdle was that the congregation was outside of Detroit and we live in New York. But things have changed and we were able to attend — albeit virtually— her service over the High Holidays.It was a high point of the …
If our identity is defined by what we do, then we can become anything we “do” consistently. It dawned on me that transformation can occur simply by, becoming. Should you train for a marathon and run in the marathon, you are a marathoner. If you remove meat products from your diet, you become a vegetarian. Commitment to becoming is within our cont …
In front of the television with the rabbi and cantor streaming live. I think I really liked this year’s services. With the new year approaching, we talked about how to go to services. There were three options – in person, an outdoor service or streamed from our family room couch. We chose the last, with the idea that it would be safest for this ye …
I was rushing to get out of the house last week and I noticed I had not made my bed. I was already late and thought about leaving the bed unmade. But I quickly thought how I would feel later that evening getting into an unmade bed. So, I quickly made the bed. I make my bed every morning. Two of my children also make their beds but two of them …
(Editor’s note: This blog got superseded by “Ruth” last week in recognition of the passing of the true Wonderwoman) I enjoy recognizing those who make a difference in our communities and the world. This explains my involvement in the Gotham Green Awards®. Established by Gotham City Networking, Inc.® and GOtham GREEN®, the awards recognize peop …
I took the IRT down BK street Where the RBG Twirled a beautiful B She took that twirl all the way with a frill To the big SC Where there was no We While she was alive Her rules changed the end of doctrine that prevented any woman to become legend An in doing so became a beacon for justice and right, she was unbeaten. Her decisions were glorio …
I know someone who went out with Ruth Bader in high school in Brooklyn. He described her as smart, pretty, vivacious and a cheerleader. No matter how hard I pressed or the questions I asked he said no more. Being me, I was intrigued by his description of her being a cheerleader. It was spice that just didn’t fit her frilled collar image. So I dug …
One of the lessons that Justice Ginsburg often repeated was the wisdom from her mother-in-law who advised her that sometimes it is advisable to be deaf. Although it may have been first offered as advice for happiness in marriage, I recently heard a commentator who said that the Justice followed that advice in her professional life as well — not al …
