Granpa: Hard Working Immigrant

My grandfather was an immigrant. I have his original paperwork from Ellis Island. He came over from Warsaw, Poland, in 1915 to make a better life. My grandmother was the daughter of immigrants from Belgium, but she didn't know them, because she was orphaned. Together, they worked day and night in a hot, steamy dry cleaning business in Detroit. I owe them a great debt. They made me what I am today, and I am grateful.
Hard work and determination are in my blood, and the ghosts of my family keep me going each day.
Please take a moment to write down the names of your parents' parents. Where are they from?
What did they do for a living? Have you followed in their footsteps? What did you learn from them? How do you honor their memory?

Panda Bite

Yesterday a cute, cuddly panda baby bit off a woman's thumb. The woman got too close, and the panda had no other way to tell her. Sometimes we underestimate another's boundaries. What are your boundaries? How do you communicate that information to other people, short of biting off their thumb?

Look Out the Window

Wherever you are, look out the window. Let your eyes rest on what you see, taking notice of the general, overall picture. Now, take a visual inventory of everything you see. Just write them down, like a list. Notice as much as feels comfortable. Take a moment, draw a line.

Ok, now, write down what you don't see.

The Three Time Zones of Life: The Here and Now

Joseph Campbell said that we all live in the three time zones of life.
This is best illustrated by the way we drive a car. We must be positioned properly in the road, in the present. We must focus and pay attention to the road ahead of us, the future. And, in order to drive properly and safely, we must regularly check the rear view mirror, the past.
If we were to constantly pay attention to the rear view mirror, we would be unable to drive safely into the future.
However, if we ignore what is behind us,
we run the risk of being caught by surprise.
If we don't stay aware of our position on the road,
we can veer off course.
Please take a moment to become fully present in
the now. Place your feet on the floor. Are you wearing shoes? High heels? Feel the chair on your legs. Is it cushioned? Is it wood? What fabric are you wearing? Feel the temperature of the air on your hand. Is it cold? Jack Kornfeld says great writing starts from the body.
Please take a moment to just write about where you are, right now.

The Del Mar racing season has ended. But I learned a valuable lesson by reading the race program. Each horse is not just listed alone. For each race, each horse is surrounded by the names of his owner, where he was bread, by whom, who is the trainer, and who is the jockey. The people who train him, care for him, breed and clean him: each horse is like a NASCAR driver with a support team. Take a moment. First think of your race horse name. (Adjective, Nown: Lucky Lampost). Now think about, and give thanks to, your support team. What does each person add to your life? Your dry cleaner keeps you looking groomed, as does your hair dressor and manicurist. Your doctor is like your pit crew when you come in for a tune up. Who cheers you on: Go ! Go! Take a moment and think about them. Thank them. Write about them. Where are they right now. What city. Are they alone? Eating dinner? At a play?
Next step: pick up a phone and say hello, and thank them for keeping your mane shiny.

To Honor My Father

I was squinting at the old marble walls, looking for my father's marker. I can't remember where he is buried, for I haven't visited the site since the funeral in 1971. He is in a drawer, a crypt, in a Jewish Mausoleum. It is quite odd to be reading a wall, rather than looking at headstones. Where is he? It is quiet in this building, with only the sound of the wind politely moving through the hall. So many stories, so many names. I suddenly strikes me that I must read everybody else's names in order to find my father's. I must honor the others who have passed on in order to locate my own family member. How fitting, how right. I can't find my father's drawer, but I now take the time to read the other names of mothers, fathers, children and spouses. Somebody loved them, so I will remember them, too. Take a moment. Write down the names of your loved ones. Everybody. If they have passed on, take a moment to picture them in your mind. Say hello. Thank them. Out loud.

Suitcase

It is a packed suitcase. What is the story?