Kindness Is Cool!

 I was standing in line at the checkout of my local Publix today and turned to the elderly man behind me and greeted him,  "How are you today?"  At first he looked blankly at me and then a smile crept on his face and he replied, " Pretty good for a 90 year old.  Thanks for asking, how are you?"  We talked for a minute and then it was my turn with the cashier.

"Hi! I hope you are having a good day!"  She replied, "Thanks, you are very nice.  Not many people ever ask!"  I finished the transaction and started to leave the store when a random woman came up to me and remarked, "I noticed that you greet everybody.  It is not often that you see that today."  I replied, "Yes, try it and you will find that Kindness is Cool!"

My wife tells me that I know no strangers and talk to everybody, wherever we are.  I see that as a positive, not a criticism, and wonder if more people would show the simple politeness in their attitudes and behavior around others, that maybe this would be a better and more productive society.  We are all so wrapped up in our own daily activities, problem and challenges and forget that a kind word, a greeting or the showing of a little interest goes a long way in not only our attitudes, but the attitudes of others.

There are those that would call me "WOKE," but I believe that the showing of respect to everybody around you is the right thing to do.  It doesn't matter if you are a Democrat or Republican; straight or gay; old or young; white, brown, black, yellow, green or purple; man, woman or neither; rich or poor; blue collar or white collar; laborer or executive or professional.  EVERYBODY deserves respect.  You don't have to agree with any of these people to show kindness.  So, if that make me Woke, then so be it...I am Woke!  The bag boy at the grocery store can feel invisible until you greet him with a smile, a nod or a quick hello.  The toll taker on the highway or the parking attendant in the garage are doing mundane jobs, but if you take 5 seconds and ask, "How are you today?" then they feel noticed!  Try it!  Kindness is Cool!

There is way too much hate in the world today.  The venom spewed by certain political candidates is beyond normal and calling your opponent racially motivated slurs and anyone who disagrees with you the "enemy within" is totally unacceptable.  Our children and grandchildren are watching and if this becomes normalized acceptable behavior, then we are in for a world of hurt and pain.

My son, Brad, is the Executive Director of an overnight camp in Northern California whose mission is rooted in the Jewish vision of creating a more environmentally sustainable, socially just and spiritually connected world.  At Eden Village West, campers feel safe and free to be themselves.  They are committed to giving every child that wants to attend Eden Village West a possibility to be a camper.  They are taught that Kindness is Cool and the more we instill those values in all of our children, the better off this world will be. 

If you agree and are able, please consider making a donation to this non-profit camp to help. Just go to this website and give whatever you can:  https://edenvillagewest.org/campershipcampaign/  Thank you!

And The Journey continues.....

I Can't Believe.....

"I can't believe this is the world and the country we live in today...."  I heard that lament today on a newscast and I have to say that I can relate to this person's distress.

All my childhood I was taught that the United States was the greatest country in the world.  Our democracy and freedoms were the bell weather for the whole free world to emulate.  But, the way things are now, that is no longer (or maybe it never was) true.  Women's rights have been stripped away because a Christian Nationalist movement has convinced the highly partisan Supreme Court to overturn Roe Vs Wade and now abortion is illegal, for all practical purposes in 26 states.  The movement by the Heritage Foundation to repel the separation of church and state as evidenced by Project 2025 continuing its efforts to move us toward a caste system much like 19th and 20th century India.  It is more important to many to have unfettered access to weapons of war than to enact some measures of safety for our children in schools, shopping malls and other places people gather.  There is no attempt at equal rights for ALL Americans and a growing effort to promote racism, anti-semitism, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant (legal and illegal) and a continued promotion of misogyny as a consequence of patriarchy.  And, there is something inherently wrong with a system that has teachers, fire-fighters and first responders paying a higher tax rate than billionaires and corporations.

Everyone in this country, except for those descendants of the indigenous tribes that originally occupied this land, are one, two, three or four generations away from their immigrant forefathers, but we seem to have forgotten that inconvenient truth.  Why?  Because a large percentage of immigrants over the last 50 years are darker skinned, speak Spanish and are not white skinned Europeans.  A lot of us have grandparents or great-grandparents that came to this country to escape oppressive governments and find a better life for their families.  Today's immigrants are coming here for the exact same reasons.  Now, I am not suggesting we should condone illegal immigration.  However, we should have a system that allows these immigrants to receive a fair and speedy chance at asylum and a path to citizenship.  But, when there was a non-partisan bill aimed at moving us closer to that goal, tRump instructed his faithful followers to vote against it so that he could personally benefit from no action.

And while we are at it, when did lying become the norm rather than the exception.  tRump and Vance continue to just make stuff up to enrage and engage the MAGA crowd.  Immigrants eating pets, lies about FEMA, conspiracy theory lies about election security, and even revisions on the economic performance of the previous tRump administration.  They even lie about what we all saw with our own eyes on January 6th!  When multiple former tRump administration officials and Military leaders warn us about another tRump administration, we damn well should listen.  Believe him when he says he will be a Dictator on Day One, that he will cozy up to Putin and forsake our Allies, try to disband NATO, that he wants to suspend The Constitution and use military force against his political enemies.  If he is elected, there will be no more "Adults in the room" to stop him from doing whatever he wants. 

Morality and civility no longer exists in the political world. As I have said, a number of times, never over-estimate the intelligence of the American public.  Due to constant telling and retelling of lies, and lack of intellectual curiosity to even fact-check those lies, the (collective) we are so misinformed and ill-informed to even know enough to rationally make an intelligent election decision!  

The whole world is watching and laughing at us for even giving this convicted felon a shot at The Presidency.

Twelve years ago, Aaron Sorkin wrote and Jeff Daniels (who incidentally was born in Athens, GA!) performed a soliloquy in the first episode of "The Newsroom" in response to the question:

 "What makes us the greatest country in the world?"

"Its not the greatest country in the world, professor, that's my answer.

And with a straight face, you're going to tell students that America's so starspangled awesome that we're the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom, Japan has freedom, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, Belgium has freedom. Two hundred seven sovereign states in the world, like 180 of them have freedom.

And you—sorority girl—yeah—just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know, and one of them is that there is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We're seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in math, twenty-second in science, forty-ninth in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force, and number four in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies. None of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, but you, nonetheless, are without a doubt, a member of the WORST-period-GENERATION-period-EVER-period, so when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don't know what the fuck you're talking about?! Yosemite?!!!

We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right! We fought for moral reasons, we passed and struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars, and we acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn't belittle it; it didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn't scare so easy. And we were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered. The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one—America is not the greatest country in the world anymore."

STAND UP FOR WHAT'S RIGHT! Educate yourself to the realities, quit believing the bullshit, and focus on the truly important things and we will all be better off. AND VOTE!

And The Journey continues........

Daddy's Little Girl

    You're the end of the rainbow, my pot of gold

    You're Daddy's Little Girl to have and to hold

    A precious gem is what you are

    You're Mommy's bright and shining star.....

So goes the song originally sung by The Mills Brothers but sung by me to my little girl many times.  When Lisa was a little girl, I would be playing the piano and she would come into the room and tell me to play "Daddy's Little Girl" for her....and I always did!

Today is a special Birthday for my little girl...Lisa turns 50 today!  Am I really old enough to have a 50 year old daughter?  It seems only yesterday that she was born.  The morning of July 12, 1974 started very early when Connie got up at around 5 AM to go the bathroom...not an unusual event for her as she was entering her ninth month of pregnancy,  She came out of the bathroom and said..."I am still leaking!"  I told her to go back to bed because it can't be that your water broke...the baby is not due for another 3 weeks!

Of course, I was wrong.  Lisa, foreshadowing her whole life, was in a big hurry to come into the world. Although right before the birth the Doctor told me to call the Moyel, that he was certain it was a boy, Lisa arrived feet first and was the funniest looking boy I had ever seen!  All 5 pounds of girl and the most beautiful thing I had ever seen!  Being the first grandchild for both sides only added to the excitement that the baby was a girl!

I have often said that I grew up with Lisa.  As a matter of fact, Connie and I were only 23 year old when she was born.  So, yep, we both grew up with her!  She went just about everywhere with us, but loved to stay with Grandma and Poppi whenever she could.  My Dad would show up at our little 2 bedroom apartment on many Friday afternoons and "steal" her for the weekend.  What fun for her (and us too!).

Fiercely independent, smart, and active defined her early childhood and beyond.  She endured our moving around to Boston when she was 9 and to Florida when she was 13 but thrived nonetheless.  Her adventures continued though throughout her first 50 years...High School in Israel, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Semester at Sea, University of Colorado, back to Ann Arbor, Aspen, Zimbabwe, back to Aspen, Boulder, University of Denver and now a Mom herself to her's and Scott's mini-me in Denver!  Mara is definitely her Mother's daughter.  When she rolls her eyes at my bad jokes, I could swear it is Lisa all over again.  I have to admit that I have lived vicariously through Lisa's many adventures.

To say I am proud of my daughter would be an obvious understatement.  Happy 50th Birthday, Lisa Michele Cohen.  Keep being you for at least another 50!  I Love Daddy's Little Girl!

And The Journey continues......

Oh! The Mountains We Climb

Twenty-two years ago, my daughter, Lisa, encouraged me to climb Mt. Princeton, a 14,000+ foot mountain in Colorado.  Actually I think it was more like talked me into climbing rather than encouraging me to take this adventure with her.  She was graduating from graduate school and sent me a note a few months before our trip to Denver:

   "I am looking forward to our ascent of Mt. Princeton and for introducing you to a piece of my world that is sacred and very close to my heart."

How could a Dad resist after that?  So, I embarked on the journey with her.  Long story short....She took me on a 12 hour round trip hike and although I climbed to over 14,000 feet, I did not summit because of Lisa's impatience with the slow movements of her old man!

Lisa has climbed the 54 14er's in Colorado and I attempted 2 others.  There was the hike on Quandary where my trustworthy(?) guide took us on the wrong path and after a considerable amount of time, we found the bold sign that read: Trespassers Will Be Shot on Sight!  By the time we descended and found the right trail, it was already getting late, my back was hurting and we scuttled the attempt.  

And then there was the misadventures while trying to hike up Humboldt.  Lisa and I arrived the night before the hike...the plan was to camp at the trailhead and get an early start the next morning.  As we got ready to set up camp, the sky opened up and the rain caused this old man to declare that a hotel would be a better idea.  Going back into the small town, we found a motel reminiscent of The Bates Motel and Lisa, Kota (the dog) and I bedded down for the night.  The next morning brought clearer weather and we headed up the trail.  A few hours in, the fog got so thick we couldn't see the mountain peak above us and soon had a hard time seeing our feet.  As it began to hail, it became apparent that we were going to scuttle this one too and began our descent.  I looked over at poor Kota and there was at least an inch of ice on his back but we thawed out as we got to lower altitudes.

That was the end of my 14er adventures.  But certainly not Lisa's.  She continued her quest of all 54 and it only took her 10 years to summit and document all of them.  Her dog, Kota, accompanied her on over 40 of them and she hiked many of them with various friends.  My only other ascent of a 14,000 foot peak was in a car and we got to the peak so quickly I developed altitude sickness and had to descend just as fast!

Sometimes we fail to reach the summit, but the climb itself is the real adventure....in life as well as in hiking.  

But now, Lisa has a new hiking partner and they did their first 14er this past weekend.  My granddaughter Mara, age 10, hiked up Mt. Sherman and reached the summit at 14,043 feet.  With determination she slogged through snow near the peak and even got to glissade (on her rear end) several hundred feet on the descent.  This Tuesday, she is already going for her 2nd summit of a 14,000 ft mountain by attempting one of my failures, Mt Quandary!  There is no doubt in my mind she will be successful!  Way to go, Mara...knowing how hard these hikes can be, I am so proud of you!

When Lisa first talked me into  climbing Mt. Princeton, she sent me the following Mount Analogue from Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindful Meditation In Everyday Life:

"There are outer mountains and inner mountains. Their very presence beckons to us, calls us to ascend. Perhaps the full teaching of a mountain is that you carry the whole mountain inside yourself, the outer one as well as the inner. And sometimes you search and search for the mountain without finding it until the time comes when you are sufficiently motivated and prepared to find a way through, first to the base, then to the summit. The mountain climb is a powerful metaphor for the life quest, the spiritual journey. The path of growth, transformation, and understanding. The arduous difficulties we encounter along the way embody the very challenges we need in order to stretch ourselves and thereby expand our boundaries. In the end, it is life itself which is the mountain, the teacher, serving us up perfect opportunities to do the inner work of growing in strength and wisdom. And we have a lot of learning and growing to do once we choose to make the journey. The risks are considerable, the sacrifices awesome, the outcome always uncertain. Ultimately, it is the climb itself which is the adventure, not just standing at the top.

First we learn what it's like at the base. Only later do we encounter the slopes, and finally, perhaps, the top. But you can't stay at the top of a mountain. The journey up is not complete without the descent, the stepping back and seeing the whole again from afar. Having been at the summit, however, you have gained a new perspective, and it may change your way of seeing forever.

As best we can, we show others what we have seen up to now. It's at best a progress report, a map of our experiences, by no means the absolute truth. And so the adventure unfolds. We are all on the mountain together. And we need each other's help.

- Jon Kabat-Zinn

AND THE JOURNEY CONTINUES...........

Everyone Is Innocent!

 "Everyone in here is innocent." says Morgan Freeman's character Red, a convicted murderer, in The Shawshank Redemption.  Interestingly, this is not just fiction.  A research study from the University of Southhampton shows that convicted prisoners view themselves as having more pro-social characteristics -kindness, morality, self control and generosity - than non-prisoners.

What these prisoners are doing is ignoring reality, because they are strongly influenced by the self-enhancement motive, according to the study.

Which brings us to tRump and his 34 felony convictions.  According to the former President, everything was rigged.  Everything is somebody else's fault.  the Judge is crooked, the jury is crooked, the prosecutor is crooked, Biden is crooked, everybody is against him!! "I couldn't be more innocent." Poor Donald...all the bullies are conspiring against him.  

Let's see...his legal problems are not limited to this case.  He has already lost large civil trials for sexual assault, defamation of character, racial profiling by his business (a case brought by the Nixon administration), 68 cases concerning the 2020 election and hundreds of other cases either settled out of court or still pending.  And, that doesn't even include the Georgia Election Case, the Arizona false electors case, the Federal Election case, the Classified Documents case or the Civil Fraud case that he has appealed.

So, what do the Republican officials say about all of this?  You already know the answer....tRump is innocent but, but, but Hunter Biden and Hillary's emails....  From such trustworthy (sic) people as Marco Rubio, Ron Desantis and many, many others, comes a litany of lies, justifications and other absurd statements.  And business leaders that are poised to overlook all of this for one reason only...their tax rate.

If Donald Trump wins the Presidency again, this country is in big trouble.  The "Great Experiment" of Democracy, the Rule of Law and individual rights are over.  I have to give it to the Conservatives...they have done a masterful job of building their cause from the ground up...first at the local level, then the State level, the Federal level and finally as high as the Supreme Court...the most corrupt court in the history of The United States.  If you want to talk about rigged and corruption, one has to look no further that Justices Alito and Thomas.

I have to disagree with the prisoners cited in the Southhampton study...you nor tRump possess the important social characteristics- kindness, generosity, self-control and certainly not any trait of morality.  tRump is influenced ONLY by the self-enhancement motive and could care less about you, me or anyone else other than himself...AND IT COMPLETELY BAFFLES ME THAT HIS SUPPORTERS SLURP UP HIS NONSENSE.

And The Journey continues........

Oath and Honor/The Little Liar

 Having just finished reading "Oath and Honor: Memoir and a Warning" by Liz Cheney and "The Little Liar: A Novel" by Mitch Album, I couldn't help but feel how fortuitous it was that I read them back to back.

In case you haven't read either, they are both about deceit and the ramifications of constantly telling lies. 

Cheney's tome is a first hand account of the insurrection of January 6, 2021 from inside the halls of Congress, from origins to aftermath.  In Oath and Honor, she tells the story of this perilous time in our history, those who helped Trump spread the stolen election LIE and the considerable risks we still face.  If I had not personally witnessed the lies, the insurrection and the congressional investigation, I might have viewed this book as a work of fiction...because, surely this couldn't happen in the United States of America.  But it did..because a lie told enough times gets weak-minded people to believe it!

Mitch Albom's well written book is a "work of fiction, but many truths went into its construction." (the Author's words)  In fact, the narrator of the story is the Angel of Truth.  This Holocaust story set in Greece centers on 11 year old Nico, who has never told a lie.  His truthfulness is used against him when, for the promise of safety for his family, he is coerced to tell those being loaded into the cattle cars for their journey to Auschwitz, that he overheard the Germans and the trip was merely a relocation to better homes, jobs and prosperity.  Because of his reputation for ALWAYS telling the truth, many chose to believe him.

This is where the similarities in Nico's and Trump's journeys differ.  

When Nico realizes the consequences of his betrayal, he can never tell the truth again...but not just for personal gain.  He will spend the rest of his life telling lies, changing names, changing locations and identities, desperate for a way to forgiveness - for himself and from those he loved.

Trump, however, continues to tell lies.  In addition to the well-documented 30,000+ lies he told as President, he continues to lie about everything to do with everything.  A pathological liar is unable to control his lying due to an underlying mental disorder.  They are very manipulative and generally lie to get their way.  Their lies are generally complicated, dramatic and detailed.  Unlike a compulsive liar, who generally knows right from wrong, a pathological liar lives with a false sense of reality.  Ms. Cheney proves in her book that Trump is very definitely a pathological liar with no conscience, no remorse and no recognition of right from wrong.

Album's historical account of the far reaches of the Holocaust was well researched, well written and horrific in its details,  While I have studied the plight of the Jews in Germany, Poland and Austria, Album reminds us of the far reaching tentacles of hatred and the places, like Greece, that we might otherwise not relate to this horrible period of time in Europe and around the world.  In today's rise of anti-semitism and general intolerance in the world, this is a must read!

Cheney's book is also nearly as chilling.  How anyone can read this entire book, understand the planning, conniving, and lying that was and continues to be led by Trump and his minions and still vote for this garbage is beyond comprehension.  I don't care whether you have conservative political viewpoints or hate the current administration, this book helps to point out the dangers to our way of life, our Democracy and this Country's mere existence if Trump and his henchmen are put back in power.  I don't agree with many conservative policies that are the foundation of the "old" Republican Party, but I have to respect (no, Admire!) those, like Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney that are trying to save us from ourselves.  This, too, is a must read!

In The Little Liar, the Angel of Truth says: 

"Humans are broken. Susceptible to sin. They were created with minds to explore, but they often choose to explore their own power. They lie.  And those lies let them think they are God.  Truth is the only thing that stops them. And yet. You cannot drown out noise with silence. Truth needs a voice."

WE are that voice.

And The Journey continues........

Tay-Trav

My taste in music is very eclectic.  As I have written in the past, I enjoy Jazz, Pop, Classical, Broadway, Country and just about anything other than Rap and Hip-Hop.  Music is the soundtrack of my life!

Up to this point, I haven't paid much attention to Taylor Swift and her music other than knowing that my granddaughter is a Swifty and that Taylor is uber-popular.  Now, though, that the MAGA crowd has started to vilify her for her stand on equal rights, Women's reproductive rights, Gay rights and her relationship with Travis Kelce, I decided to take a deeper dive in to exactly who is Taylor Swift, her music, her accomplishments and exactly what she has done to piss-off a lot of mysoginistic, close-minded bigots and assorted other creeps that don't want to see her face on an NFL broadcast.

First of all, Taylor is an accomplished musician.  She began writing songs at age 14 and made her first album at age 16.  She is credited with writing over 119 songs solo and another 100 or so in collaboration with other songwriters.  With over 200 million records sold, she is one of the world's best selling artist.  Taylor has won every major music award - most multiple times- even when a total idiot jumped on-stage to try to take one away from her! She is the highest-grossing female touring act, the most streamed woman and the first BILLIONAIRE with music as the main source of income.  She has inspired millions and millions of young people all over the world.

Taylor is known for her philanthropic efforts.  Besides supporting the arts, she has been active in Feeding America, the World Health Organization, Stand Up To Cancer, children's literacy and many other charitable endeavors.  Every city on her tour benefits from her charitable endeavors.  She truly embraces the Pay-It-Forward philosophy.

So, it begs the question:  Why are certain people so upset over her romance with Travis Kelce, her exposure on NFL broadcasts, her political leanings and just about anything that she says, does or doesn't say or do?  Is it jealousy, mysoginy, or are they scared that she might have influence with a very large group of people...specifically those of voting age?  Probably all of the above!

I haven't seen these same people get upset when the cameras pan to other celebrities in the crowd at a football game. I didn't see any of them get upset when another athlete, David Beckham, started a love affair with Posh Spice - now, Victoria Beckham.  Where is the uproar over other celebrities being on the sidelines during games or dominating the courtside seats at a basketball game or being shown from their luxury boxes?  Is a grand total of 25 seconds on camera really stop the flow of your watching a game?

Give me a break.  This is all about the fact that Taylor has encouraged young people to register to vote...to let their voices be heard..to stand up for what they believe in.  The MAGA crowd has demanded that she stay out of politics.  But it is okay for their "stars" of the music and entertainment industry that support the conservative movement to voice their opinions.  As usual, the hypocricy is overwhelming.  

And if you are offended that Travis does commercials for Bud Light, Pfizer, Nike, State Farm, Experion and DirecTV and others, than don't get the vaccination, don't drink Bud Light, quit wearing Nike, get your insurance from someone other than State Farm, don't check your credit through Experion and don't use DirecTV.  That's what freedom of choice is about.  But, stop the damn rumors of something sinister going on because two famous people are having a romance.  There are bigger problems in this country and the world in general and to focus on Taylor and Travis is ridiculous! 

I am already a fan of Travis Kelce because of his enormous talent on the field...and I enjoy the podcast he does with his brother.  Now, I am becoming a Swifty, because of the person she is!

To those that are offended by Taylor Swift and her relationship with Travis Kelce, I say...Get a life!

And The Journey continues......