MUCH ADO ABOUT SOME THINGS - MY BLOGS

This is the 99^th blog that I am publishing. That number astonishes me as a while ago I wrote a blog entitled “CTOS” which stood for I Can’t Think of Shit. Since this is the 99^th offering, I guess there is no Imodium for the brain.

Yesterday, a friend with whom I often, regularly do not agree with, especially when it comes to politics, said to me that he doesn’t read my blog because it is too political. True, I express my thoughts very succinctly and with some basis for why I do think that way. It is OK to disagree with me. In fact at the end of each bog I say “That I My Take You decide.”

One thing comes to mind is that if you don’t agree find out why. I just saw Michael Moore’s “In Trumpland.” That film is a great expression and illustration of divergent views. (Even Trump loved it – not for the content, because his name was in the title). So many times in my life people who knew more than me about an issue convinced me to look at an issue in another way – or re-enforced my reasoning.

I started writing this blog to vent, to get stuff off of my chest.  The fact that this is number 99 blows my mind as I didn’t think I had that much stuff on my chest. So, I tried to categorize my blogs to what I really write about. I put them in three categories although there could be more. I simplified the categories into three areas:

1. Political
2. Personal
3. Travel

In the past 16 years we have had two presidents. One of no ability and one of amazing intellect and a great communicator.  There was and is so much fodder to write about how could I not write about the political scene. Frankly, the election that we are involved in now is ripe for writing. However, of the 99 blogs, only 27% were political.

Daily events generate some much news that it is hard to decide what is worth writing about. Today’s issue evaporates as another open mike recording presents itself. Or an e-mail that has you reading between the lines. So, what is good content? I am at a point now that I cannot listen to the pundits. Kelleyanne is the ultimate blond joke. Mayor Gulliani is the ultimate Italian joke. Are there idiots on the left, sure but they are kept quiet. Ok, so now I have written about them!

However, more fulfilling is the Personal Category. That is 53% of the bogs that I wrote. In the Personal category I could have broken the blogs down even more to Religion, Memories, Family, etc. All of that is included in that Personal blogs.

I wrote one blog of how telephone numbers from the past generate wonderful memories. I actually remembered the numbers and that  too, blows my mind. One of the most read blogs was, “Hi I Am Peggy.”

That was fun to write. I had occasion to talk to “Peggy” yesterday. No, the issue wasn’t resolved he told me to talk to another “Peggy.”

I got nostalgic one February as I pondered the upcoming baseball season and why I always feel good about that. As that was coming to fruition, I wrote about the Pitchers and Catchers starting their Spring Training as that is when it actually kicks in.

I even wrote about the time I felt I had nothing to write about. I used to have friend that told that I like to talk. He was half right. I like to listen, too. I get feed back from around the world. I have been read in more than 30 countries – some are surprising. My second largest audience is in Russia. I guess there is an ego factor at work here.

Within the Personal Category I discuss religion. I have come to conclude that Religion is wonderful for many reasons, but G-d (I am still careful, just in case) I am not so sure of. Some of the traditions within my religion are going away and that disturbs me – so I wrote about it. I vented and pissed some people off. It was on my mind and still is but I have come to realize that my generation did similar things of which my parent’s generation was disturbed by. A woman on the bema – Nooooo. But Dad, that is your daughter-in-law up there! “She looks good up there,” he replied. End of controversy.

I wrote about seeing a psychic. I was very doubtful but indirectly it saved my life. It was very moving, strange and weird at the same time. I am keeping an open (slightly) mind. It was another experience that I had that I wanted to share, so I did.

I wrote about returning home to my old neighborhood. The street, the schools, the Synogogue the people there now.

The last Category is Travel. Travel amounts to about 20% of my writing. That could also be lumped into Personal  but I have been lucky enough to travel to so many countries all over the world. Egypt and Israel in the Middle East.  More than 20 countries in Europe, India, China and several other far eastern countries. Thailand is one that I really like and enjoy going to so I have spent some time typing about Thailand.

I even rode the train over the Bridge at the River Kwai. The movie does not do that event of building the bridge justice. It was gruesome.

After spending time in Eastern Europe I wrote a blog about that experience – especially about the  Concentration Camps. No matter how it is presented now, Eastern Europe is a living memorial to the Holocaust.

The bottom line of this blog is to explain that in my writing  that I am trying to share my opinions, my experiences and my emotions. My opinions are mine – if you share them, fine, if not let me know why not. My emotions are also mine. This blog lets me deal with them. My travel experiences are made even more wonderful sharing them and reliving them as I write.

Those are my reasons – you decide

MY DIAMOND YEAR

 

Ok, so you all know how old I am! It is hard to fathom that I am this old. It does get you thinking: It gets you pondering about all you missed all you did and all you wish you did better. The latter is everything, except maybe my kids. I could not have done any better. Lucky, I guess but I will take some credit.

What other things could I have done better? Planning a career, but time is the navigator and what happens in time dictates your path. There are so many influences along the way. My late wife really fought me on one career move and she was so right.  I did better, I followed her loud but precise direction. Without her support I would have not taken advantage of other opportunities. We moved to the east coast because she said we should (and I wanted the promotion). Was it a great move? No, but I did get some great learning experiences which helped later in my career path.

It may not have been great but my wife and I got take our first trip to Europe and North Africa I got to travel to Japan for the first time. All as a result of the move to the east. My kids got to go to Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park. They got the Christmas Experience of New York City. They got closer to east coast relatives on my side and my late wife’s side. These relationships now span two generations and are still strong.  Bottom line, in retrospect, it was a great move.

There is a lesson here: If you make the best of the situation you get good outcomes. So, for the first 75 years I tried to make the best of all situations. It is not always easy. Basic Training and Combat Engineer Training was hard and different but I grew up and became self- sufficient. I even learned to sew. Good decision, I guess.

College was also interesting. My kids all had better college experiences than I did. But I did get through my senior year with my sweetheart that I married after six years. So, my senior year in college was outstanding as I had an amazing support system and a good typist at home.

That was the first 21 years of the first 75 years. What did I miss? Can’t think of a thing.
Next came kids - all good decisions.

While living on the east coast, my wife and I made the decision to return to California. It took 10 months to sell our home. My eldest daughter declared her life to be over. It was a temporary situation as in 2 .5 years she had a Sweet Sixteen Party with 200 of her closest friends. The high school basketball team were the bouncers that kept order. – life rejuvenated .

All three had school trips to Washington DC. Yes, it was a good decision but one nerve wracking trip till they get home.

Moving on in the 75 year journey got all three kids educated by the time I was 52 years old. All of us were really educated. My wife got sick two months after my 48^th birthday. The journey of a life time begins. Until just after my 52^nd birthday the journey was intense. I could not have done any better than the friends we had during that time. The support the love the attention, the emotions, the laughter and The tears were also quite intense.  No, there were no better people anywhere. Having all those people in our life at that time was a great decision or circumstance. I look back with pride and with warm feelings.

At my 50^th birthday party, one that I did not want because of the health ramifications with my wife, but she made it anyway, many of the people who were there are no longer with us. There are no regrets just happiness that I fought her wishes and I let her win – a good decision on my part. I look at the photo of that party and there are so many stories emanating from the friends and family that were there.

The good news for me  is that I am still here pondering the past 75 years, the bad news is that I am doing  It alone. The good news is that many of the people in the photo are still with us today. I still have the  Dodger Cap and jacket that were my birthday gifts from the Screwpals (and I still have the T shirt, too).

From 48 to 52 life was a major rollercoaster ride. My eldest got married and I was so worried about my wife’s condition in making the wedding, but I don’t regret letting her do it. During that time my younger daughter graduated from her college, my son went to the University of Arizona and my eldest started her career in the medical field. The graduation at San Francisco State was a giant memory that generates smiles and great feelings from the breakfasts at the Marriott where the Myers and the Freedmans drove the staff crazy to the ceremony at the stadium where my daughter was honored.

What highs!

More highs, I took my wife along with my cousin and his wife to Hong Kong where we had a great Experience. Shopping in crazy places. Touring Macau and SzenSzen, Stanley Market and out of the way places that the concierge suggested, looking for bargains.

More highs.

A month later – real lows! 

1989 was the start of the four year ordeal where decisions would be made, questioned, re-evaluated, second guessed all in the hope of a positive outcome – not knowing when and how that will happen.

I don’t know how we would have made better decisions. Our principal doctor who my wife did not like, at first, became her best friend and nurtured here through this ordeal. Most of the time I just nodded in agreement because the path was clear. The goal was simple – life! It was a complicated and intense process that spanned four years. The outcome was not what we hoped for but I cannot look back and say what I might have done different.

After ten years I remarried. That I can look back say that I should have done it differently. Or, not done it at all.

There were clues. I watched how my new wife and her mother treated and talked about her step sister and step brother and their kids. That was a revelation that I did not pay close attention to, till it was too late. So, I ended up on a very uncomfortable sofa bed that was designed to discourage her step sister from staying at our house. What I did better was not spending my nights on the sofa bed without an air mattress.

Free from that entanglement, my life got so much better.

That was up until age 70. In the meantime, my kids made me a 60^th birthday party where my late daughter-in-law was the bartender who mixed a great martini. Like my 50^th, there were so many people there that was important in my life. So many that are not here now. I have grandchildren named for so many:

Myles Parker and Cate. Spencer Logan, Jacob Samuel. What would I have done different?  Not tried to sing like Sinatra.

Since the 65th surprise party many have left us. All the memories are still there. Those people that are still here bring happiness and provide for new and exciting times. For twenty four years, with the exception of that nine year mistake, my life has been so much better. Traveling to far away places, experiencing new things, meeting new people, making new friends in countries I only dreamed of visiting has added so much color and so many new tchotchkes for my bar.

Yes, there were close calls. My son-in-law and I shared hospitals while he had brain surgery then I had heart surgery. We made good decisions as we are both doing quite well. We are all  celebrating his Golden Birthday as we celebrate my Diamond Birthday. 

As I look back, I have no regrets. Oh, there are moments on that time span that I wish I had dealt with better. There is a cure for that – time. As I hit 75 I am looking ahead to my next destination, to my next tennis match. My next bar or bat mitzvah of  a grandchild and may be I will get to see a granddaughter get married. Those events have nothing to do with decision making. The decisions that got to this point have been made years ago. I just want to lean back and kvell.

See you in eight years at my next Bar Mitzvah.

That is my life – you decide.