I would like to share an experience I had entering Yom Kippur this year.
Every year as Yom Kippur approaches, actually as any of the Jewish holidays approach, I find myself struggling to break away from the secular world and honor myself by making sure I have time to prepare for that particular holiday.
Even when my employer or the people I am working with offer up the opportunity for me to leave early or take some time off, either my inability to let go or my misguided sense of responsibility to get the job done gets in the way.
This causes a frenzy that does not allow me to greet the holiday the way I might want to.
This year was shaping up to be another prime example of this peculiar behavior on my part.
Here it was, Wednesday evening and I had not even begun to think about the conflict between my work schedule and the timing of the holiday.
On Fridays, I am the only driver at the JCCOTP.
My plan was to drive....and deal with the consequences of that as they happened. Truth be told, when I look at the timing of my runs, there is no way for me to get home in time to eat, never mind prepare for the fast.
But I had not even looked at that.
That was until I got a call from the woman who handles the logistics of transportation for the center.
Actually she sent me a text:
"What do you want to do about Friday".
I texted back:
"What do you mean....I am driving of course".
She called.
"I need you to be honest with me....realistically what works for you?"
This was the first moment where I stopped to even think about my schedule (or needs).
I said it would be great if some one else could cover the late run. Even better if they could cover both afternoon runs.
If in fact there was no coverage, I would merely adjust my plans and figure it out.
Her response was " let's see what I can do..we'll talk in the morning!"
When I got in on Thursday morning she advised me that since there was no one who could cover for me , she was just changing the program and sending every one home on the early bus.
Effectively, she said" David needs to get home and I am making sure that happens!"
When I started to say "are you sure?"she cut me off immediately.
"It's Yom Kippur".
"You need to get home!"
End of discussion.
Today I felt like I was part of a team, part of a community.
In this case, the team went to work to take care of me.
The entire community sprang into action to accommodate me. 
Phone calls were made.  
Schedules were changed. 
A plan of action was rolled out. 
All to accommodate  me.
The team had my back. It was a humbling yet gratifying experience. 
I had the sense that I belonged. 
There is no part of that which isn't special!

"G'mar Hatimah Tovah"

"May you be sealed for a good year [in the Book of Life]."

Shabbat Shalom!

While this whole new schedule has afforded me some time to attend to "me" things, I have not been able to catch up on as much as I had hoped to. 
This fact that I have not written to you since Monday is evidence of just how busy I have been.
It's kind of like trying to lose weight. You start your diet on day 1. Immediately you notice how much better you feel. you have this burst of energy as the lethargy from the crap you have been accustomed to eating lifts and your body becomes attuned to the good food you are now consuming. 
There is an extra pep in your step. 
You are sleeping better at night. 
You find yourself touching your body noticing how you are surely morphing into a thinner you. 
The scale even tells you that there is a dramatic difference. 
Then you reach into the closet to grab that shirt or those slacks that didn't fit and attempt to put them on. 
Uh uh!
No way.
They still don't fit. It is then and only then that you come face to face with the reality that this is only the beginning of a long process, one that will take quite a while before you can actually realize a change that is truly noticeable.
Even now, as I sit here banging at the keyboard in an attempt to reach out to you to catch up, I see that it is time for e to head out and start my day,a day that will have me on the move and running around until just about dinner time.
I am accomplishing a ton of chores and odd agenda items that have been left unattended for weeks. 
I understand that this is the very beginning of a long road back. eventually that noticeable difference will be apparent. Today.....well I'm off and running ,plowing ahead and making changes!

Okay so day 1 of my new schedule started out just fine. 
Everything was going along swimmingly.
I left the house early to get a running start . I also figured if I could get done with my morning run earlier I would have a few extra minutes during my mid morning break in the action.
Then came a text.
"Would you mind doing an extra pick up"
No big deal. 
With nothing special on my plate , the extra hour on  my run would be no big deal.
Then came another text.
"Mommy said you would be able to walk my dogs today?"
No problem!
Jump over to Sara's house, let the dogs out and then fly back to pick up my bus for the second run.
Before I knew it, the 2 1/2- 3 hours I anticipated having between runs had been whittled down to a little less than 90 minutes.
Like I said, not quite the game plan I had had when the day started.
In addition to this miscalculation is the fact that I have not addressed getting back to the gym.
Not that I am remotely ready to make that commitment at this point in my life either.
 It has been quite a while since  have worked out on anything resembling a regular schedule.
My 5-6 days a week has been cut down to my one day Sunday workout for months now.
Not good!
The sad part is I know just how good my sore muscles feel for days after my weekly trek to the gym. I know just awesome I feel for days as my arms and legs remind me just which part of my body I had isolated during my work out.
The only muscle keeping me from getting back to my regular regimen is the one between my ears!
No promises regarding this. Just acknowledging the awareness of the need to address this is a start.
A good start. 
As they say ,
To Be Continued...........

It's blazing hot here today.
Too hot to cut the grass or to do much of any kind of work outdoors. 
The Yankees are getting their butts kicked. 
The Giants are giving their game away so watching sports is not real high on my agenda.
My desk , as well as the rest of the house is sparkling clean.
This is a great way to start the work week.
With both a morning and afternoon run on Sundays, my work week is at a minimum 6 days long.
I am looking forward to my newly revised schedule starting tomorrow.
The 2 1/2 hour break between my morning and afternoon runs during the week will be a huge asset for me.
An hour at my desk before my morning run, coupled with that mid day break gets most of the house keeping and maintenance work out of the way for me.
This allows me to put in 3 plus hours after my late run before dinner. 
When you add it up. I am still putting in a full day of working on my stuff plus 4-5 hours of driving.
That little mid day interlude will make all the difference. 
By the time I am done with my bus route , I will have handled the mundane stuff that often clutters my desk allowing for a window of opportunity to be at my creative and productive best later on in the day.
Let's be honest,when people have a typical 8 hour job, how many hours do they really spend working?
How many breaks do they take?
And a lunch hour?
And the normal office schmoozing and chit chat around the break room or water cooler?
I am excited as I look ahead to my new schedule and the work week.
A new beginning ,at the start of a new week on the first work  day after the New Year. 
Nice!
Shavua Tov!

It has been a challenging few weeks (as evidenced by my lack of consistency in writing and responding!).The biggest challenge ended on Tuesday when the people I have been working with and I decided that it was not working and we should part ways. 
Whew ......what a relief! 
While the money certainly might have helped, selling my soul was way to great of a price tag. For the first time in over a month I can breathe once again.
As I look towards the week ahead, I am excited to see that I once again have the opportunity to get back on track. Even with a holiday at the end of the week, I have 5 full days of my new "old" routine.
When the day started today my plan was to kick back, relax, recuperate and just mellow out. Instead, I have spent and will continue to spend the day, cleaning up and catching up in preparation for the upcoming week.
 I finally had the clarity of mind and focus to respond to emails today, some dating back to early September. 
I returned the cable equipment to Optimum after switching to Fios over a month ago.
There is a stack of mail sitting in front of me that I will tackle as soon as I finish this email.
I followed up with a vendor on a conversation we started 3 weeks ago laying out our game plan for the 2018 Halloween season.
Yes I said 2018 Halloween. 
(I just love it when people still ask me"what do you do the rest of the year?")
It is really kind of amazing. Here it is Saturday, 5 days since I ended what I now see as a truly caustic situation and I still find myself catching these really deep cathartic cleansing breaths. My lungs fill with cool fresh air and my body quivers as my chest expands and eventually contracts as I release the warm breath and it leaves me.
It is a new year.
Some how, through all of the craziness, I found peace in my holiday. 
It has cleared the way for me to continue on my Journey.
 I have even made plans to meet up with a dear friend in 3 weeks and pay a visit to the shul in Philadelphia. 
Unthinkable a week ago.
Very exciting today!
It is a new year!
It is a new day!
And it feels once again like a new beginning!
Shabbat Shalom!

After a very , and I do mean very, hectic, tumultuous and busy week,it's Friday!
As you know, Friday's are known around here as How Am I Doin' Friday. It's my opportunity to check in with you and catch up on just how things are going.
It just happens that on this particular How Am I Doin' Friday, it is the 2nd day of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.
What better time could there possibly be to reconnect and recommit to you through my daily email.
Rosh Hashana and the holiday season marks the time for t'shuva.
This Hebrew word "teshuva" means: to return back to God.
More colloquially this return is seen as a time for change, to come back to center.
It is my opportunity to remind myself and re find myself.
Remind myself of what is important to me and re find my way back to the path of righteousness. 
I know righteousness is not a word commonly used today. 
It is however a very important and pertinent word.
Websters defines righteousness as acting in accord with divine or moral law.
Plain and simple,it means do the right thing.
Over and over, this simple way of approaching life keeps coming around for me.
Do the right thing!
So simple yet so unbelievably challenging.
During this turbulent week, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders.
While there is still a bit of concern and uncertainty , specifically regarding the fiscal ramifications these changes will have for me, the greater reward is that I have been able to shed a huge burden on my time as well as my emotional resources.
In doing so, I have been able to find my way through the dense undergrowth of what was beginning to feel like a perilous path and back to the road that has been so rich and rewarding for me over the last 4 years.
From my house to yours, I want to wish you a happy, healthy sweet and yes prosperous New Year.
“Shanah tovah u'metuka ”
Shabbat Shalom!

A few short weeks ago, at the start of the Hebrew month of Elul, I wrote about having a month to prepare for the High Holidays. Elul is the month that directly precedes Rosh Hashana and the start of the holiday season.
3 plus weeks into the month with just a handful of days to go before the yom tov (holiday) I got nothin'!
Last night, I attended a "Welcoming in Shabbat" program.
I was hoping that maybe it would serve as kindling to start the fire.
It was a very nive event.
My take away?
Nothin'!
Tonight I will attend Selichot.
Last year Susan and I were the honorees on Selichot.
It was a lovely evening. 
It meant a lot to the both of us.
I chose to theme the night and the holiday season based on the quote:
"There are 2 ways to illuminate the world: be the candle or be the mirror that reflects it".
I had wrist bands made up with this quote. 
We handed out almost 200 of them this year.
I wear mine daily as a reminder.
This year?
Like I said,I got nothin'!
Were it not for the fact that I serve a fairly vital role in keeping the service moving, I would be hard pressed to drag myself to shul or the holidays this year.
There is just nothing resonating inside of me heading into this special time of year.
I can't explain it. 
I have no answer for it.
I am no even concerned about it. 
I am actually feeling ambivalent about the whole thing. 
It's kind of sad. I've been here before.
My response in the pas has been to search for something to help ignite that spark.
So what am I doing about it this year?
Nothin'!

Shabbat Shalom! 

I am feeling much better about things today. Actually, I noticed the change 3 days ago.
Once I understood what I had been doing to myself recently and the slippery slope I was sliding down,every thing changed.
Shining a light on and illuminating the landscape around me, made all of this change possible.
 Fear lurks in the shadows and the darkness.
I am breathing better, sleeping better, eating better and walking a whole lot taller.
Here's the funny part.
Nothing has changed other than my mindset.
My plate is still as full as ever.
The demands on my time have not changed.
I am still performing the same functions as I did last week and the week before and the week before that.
The difference is, I stopped hiding behind my fears and anxieties. I stopped letting myself feel abused. I spoke my mind, had the conversations I wanted to have and have a clearer understanding of what I want in my life.
I acknowledged me.
Reaffirming who I am and what is important to me gives me purpose.
The tasks and chores I perform have no effect on this.
As long as when I am busy at doing these things I do not loose track of or forget who I am and what I value in life.
I no longer feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. In fact, I find that I can stand upright with the entire Universe strapped to my back and confidently ask "what else you got!"
Bring it on....I can handle it!

Today I am self diagnosing .
I am suffering from BMS,Battered Me Syndrome.
Now, first let me say that I am in no way making light of a very serious issue that plagues our culture.
In fact, I could not be more serious when I make the comparisons.
Quite frankly, I am actually surprised that no one else has come to the same conclusions that I have regarding the existence of BMS.
I have been unhappy for well over a month.
Without going into the details, suffice it to say that the best I have been able to muster over the last few weeks has been a few brief moments of calm, certainly no happiness.
So what exactly is BMS?
BMS,Battered Me Syndrome is what I do to myself when I surrender my authority, a term that The Universe exposed me to.
When I stop making the choices to do the things that make me happy I begin the Journey down that slippery slope of surrendering my authority.
Even worse is when I choose to accept things that cause me pain, anxiety or stress and somehow justify the abuse as something that I can live with.
I make excuses for the bad behavior. 
I allow others to abuse me when I am in this state. while they may be complicit in the abuse, I am the one who has provided the opportunity for the abuse to occur.
During these episodes of BMS, I stop taking care of myself. Food protocols go out the window. Abusing food helps to numb the pain. 
Workouts disappear. I stop taking care of myself. My wardrobe suffers. Looking my best is no longer as important to me. And then I make excuses for all of it.
Soon, this abhorrent behavior becomes the accepted norm, which just opens the door for more abuse.
If you think I am not deadly serious about this syndrome you are wrong.
If left unchecked, this can become so overwhelming that I can loose all perspective as to what is important in my life.
At the beginning of the year I vowed to be 1% better today than I was the day before.
Over the last few weeks, I have spent my energy getting through the day instead of getting better at me.
All of this is due to BMS.
That stopped today.
No more!
And the moment I realized and acknowledged this to myself every thing changed.
I found myself on more than 1 occasion today taking deep cleansing breaths.
The kind that has that little break in them that you experience after sobbing.
It has been both epiphonic and cathartic.
Visions of removing the weight of the World off of Atlas' shoulders come to mind.
There is no shelter I can go to to recover from this.
There are no self help groups for BMS, at least none that I know of.
Tonight I look forward to a good night's sleep. Tomorrow will come soon enough.
I hope and pray that I find the strength,courage and conviction to continue the healing from this.
My fear in life is that someday I run into someone from my past who asks"what ever happened to THAT guy?"
It scares the hell out of me.
It will be a pleasant treat to be able to look squarely in the eyes of the guy in the mirror once again.
And be that guy once more!

Today was another "hole in my sock" day.
You know what I mean. 
First thing in the morning,as you are getting dressed you find a hole in your sock. 
Then a stain on your shirt. 
Then you break a shoe lace.
You get the picture.
I did not sleep well at all last night.
There was a lot weighing on my mind which led to a very vivid an unsettling dream. 
It was so disturbing that I woke up filled with anxiety.
Not the way to start a busy day.
(It was the busy schedule that was haunting my sleep).
It was really chilly as I walked to my car. 
Key in the ignition.
Nothing. 
Dead battery!
As you can well imagine, I could have chosen to see this as a portend of the kind of day I was going to have. Instead, I chose to view it for what it was,a dead battery.
The extra heavy volume of traffic?
Chalk it up to a Monday commute.
The construction every where I turned?
Long over due road maintenance. 
All of these and the numerous other detours to my day, could have fallen under the banner of "just my luck" or "of course this is happening to me".
Instead, as I said before, I chose to roll up my sleeves and slug through the day.
Look, I get it.
There are going to be days that feel like the world is conspiring against me.
When they occur, as they undoubtedly do from time to time, I am fortunate enough to now understand that maybe, just maybe I should take inventory of what is going on in my life .
Maybe some changes are in order?
Maybe some conversations should be had?
Maybe there are challenges that need to be met instead of ignored?
Time to realize that these maybes are really "Ya Thinks".
(BTW-I got a new battery!)

I am finding that my Fridays are vanishing before me lately.
I think it may be because I have less commitments on my schedule which gives me more time to run errands and attend to many of the things that I have put aside during the week.
And of course , there is preparing for Shabbat dinner which if you have not figured out by now is the highlight of my week.
One of the casualties of this is I often don't take the opportunity to write to you . Maybe I should consider changing How Am I Doin' Fridays to What's Happenin' Saturdays?
For the most part, Saturday's have become the one day a week that I have me time.
Even on a day like today, where I will eventually find myself at the shop helping out, my schedule is such that I can relax a bit. 
I am scheduling my time for me, not for others which is a huge difference.
One thing I have noticed is that this has an enormous effect on my approach to food.
In the past, Saturdays were rough on my diet.
Because the pressures of the week were off, I found myself using food to soothe myself and wind down.
Today, with the weekly demands on my time that I deal with, my freedom to have some me time replaces the need to self medicate with food.
The void that existed is no longer there.In fact the void has become an opportunity.
And I don't seem to have any problem taking advantage of this new found freedom. I run all sorts of errands and take the opportunity to find some chore to take care of or task to complete. 
More often than not, some time mid week, I find myself saying "man am I glad I took care of whatever on Saturday".
I have about 2 hours of me time left on this particular Saturday before I have to jump in and give Susan a hand at the shop.
I have already handled a bunch of little things that needed my attention. I have some computer work that I will have to deal with eventually. I'm not sure if that eventually will be today or not. 
Sunday morning will be here soon enough and the demands on my time will begin by 6 a.m.
For now, I think I will finish my apple (today is an apple day) grab a cup of coffee and take a few minutes to sit quietly and relax.Shabbat Shalom!

I consider myself a fairly responsible shopper. 
When ever possible I buy the store brand, if it is comparable to the name brand. 
I shop for produce at a market where the pricing is much less than at the super market.
I stock up on sale items that I use with regularity,things like tuna,mayonnaise,olives,etc.,
mostly canned goods which I know will have a shelf life.
I don't buy in bulk partially because of storage and partially because if I shop prudently I can normally find pricing that matches the warehouse pricing.
I  occasionally shop at the dollar store, however, you have to be careful because counts are often deceptive.
Take coffee filters for instance. 
A pack of filters in one dollar store has 50 filters. In another dollar store there are 100 in a pack. The super market has 200 filters for $1.29. 
You see?
 You have to be careful!
One item Susan has been buying at the dollar store is my bath soap.
For $1 you get a bottle of soapy goop in varying colors,scents and viscosity.
Over the years she has found dozens of different ones and they all do basically the same job.
About 3 months ago, I opened the latest bottle of bath gel that she had purchased and proceeded to put some on my wash cloth. 
Immediately I noticed a difference. 
It was thicker than anything else I had ever had .
Instead of some monochromatic ooze, this had a lustrous pearled sheen to it.
As I worked my wash cloth to lather it up,the pleasant scent wafted towards me ,so much so that I could hardly wait to apply it.
It was luxurious!
I mean it was a truly sensuous experience.
After my shower , I told Susan that this was the best bath gel she had ever found and we should stick to it. Every time she went to the dollar store she would try to find more.She saved the bottle when it was empty so that she could search all of the dollar stores she frequents.
 3 months and no luck.
Week after week, bottle after bottle, we have never been able to find this soap again at a dollar store. 
When I stepped into the shower earlier this week I was surprised to see a fresh bottle of the mystery potion.
I thanked Susan and asked her where she finally found it. 
She said she actually found it at the super market, however it was not $1.
I asked her how much it was and she replied "$3.49".
I have made the decision to become fiscally irresponsible and treat myself to this luxury when I need more.
I know you are probably saying "man you're crazy!" 
That's 3 1/2 times more than the dollar store goop.'
Well guess what?
I'm gonna do it any way! 
I think deserve it!

A Tale of Two Friendships

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it 
was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. . . ."
 Such is the story of my life and the tale I would like to share with you today. 
I have these 2 friends. I met them just about a year apart almost 30 years ago.
They come from worlds as disparate as any could possibly be.
As they are both my friends, they have had occasion to meet each other.
They certainly know of each other and of my friendship with each of them.
The only connection to their distinctly different worlds is me.
There is today, a strange commonality for the 2 of them. 
They are both embarking on new lives.
My one friend had landed the job of a lifetime.
It fulfills his passions as well as hopefully his coffers. He has worked diligently building a foundation and a resume which has afforded him this opportunity.
He has earned it. He has worked hard to achieve this position. He will be hugely successful.
Similarly my other friend is starting anew as well. 
After a lifetime of more than just brush ups with the law, he finds himself at the doorway leading to an opportunity to lead what most would consider a normal life.
He is looking forward to getting a new job, finding a home and building the rest of his lifetime.
He has made his own way to this place in life. He has paid dearly for his choices and relishes the opportunity that is before him.
Last week both of my friends went shopping. They both bought a couple of new suits, albeit one at a nice men's store and the other at the local thrift shop.
They are both experiencing radical changes,for the better, in their lives.
These 2 individuals could not be further apart from each other yet their Journeys have taken each of them to the step off points for a new life.
The one thing they have in common?
They are both my friends.
As I write this, I can't begin to tell you just how much happiness I feel for both of them.
I look at where they are and the paths they are embarking upon and it warms my heart.
When I step back for a second, I find myself taking stock of my own life.
The first thing that comes to me is Harry Chapin's song Taxi.
While I drive a bus, not a cab,the story is not that far removed. 
One line keeps coming around for me:
"another man might have been angry and another man might have been hurt....."
Me?
I am neither.
 I am happy for the both of my friends and I am thankful for all that I have in my life......
including the bus I drive!

If you ever want to take a really nice road trip for your vacation, may I suggest a driving tour through New York State.
There is nothing that compares to it. 
Leave New York City out of the equation.
Starting at the New Jersey border, in the space of 3 hours, you can drive through a multitude of differing geographic,cultural and historical regions. I know because yesterday I took that drive.
As I drove north on the NY State Thruway, I passed through the Hudson Valley region, The Catskills, The Capital District,The Leatherstocking Region and eventually ended up in the Adirondacks. It was quite a drive and had it not been for the incessant sheets of rain pummeling my windshield, it probably would have been a wonderful trip.
This was not a vacation for me. I was heading off to a reunion of sorts.
27 years ago, I hired a fellow who had just finished a 7.5 year vacation courtesy of the correctional department of the great state of New York.
He worked for me for the next 20 years.
In a very short while after we met, he became much more than another employee. Within 6 months he was one of my most trusted and valuable managers.
He had also become my friend, a friendship that has grown for almost 3 decades now. 
2 weeks ago, my friend returned home from anther NY State penal vacation.
The minute he walked out of the front gates,he asked his ex who had come to pick him up if he could borrow her phone. 
"I need to call my boss" he told her.
Even though we have stayed in touch through letters, it was great to hear his voice. 
The greatest part was that this time he sounded different. 
Something had changed.
Lucid ,excited yet a bit somber, he said"Boss, I'm done!".
I believed him.
I had never heard this from him in the past. There was always a fresh start, doing the same nonsense that had afforded him these fully paid vacations. 
In the past, he headed right back to the same streets and the same communities where he had learned and honed his skills.
"Boss, I made arrangements to go live in a shelter,miles away from my old haunts". "I don't need  or want that anymore'" 
"I want a life."
Something in his voice sounded sincere.
I am still uncertain if my trip up north was to see an old friend or to look in his eyes and see if in fact he had truly come to a crossroads in his life.
In either case, I wanted to support my friend.
27 years is a long time and much water has passed beneath that bridge.
The home he is living in has about 20 residents. 
It's a nice place.
There are rules to follow and a structured regimen to be adhered to.
My friend is soaking in every bit of it.
Grasping at every opportunity to make the right choice, I see in him the same commitment that has grown in me to never go back to where I once was.
There will be no applause coming from me. 
Lord knows, over the almost 3 decades I have known him , all of his history is of his own choosing.
I will be there to support him.
Not financially.
 I am not in that position nor does he need me to be.
Not with a job. 
I no longer have a position to offer.
I will be there as his friend. 
No one knows better than I do how important having friends can be.
Shavua Tov!

It's another splendidly cool crisp Fall morning today. The only problem with this is that it is early September and technically still summer.
I am enjoying this brief bit of sweatshirt weather before things heat up again as I am fairly confident they will shortly.
The nice thing is that the a.c. has been of for almost a week now and I don't see the need to turn it back on in the near future.
While it is at times a necessity, I am generally not a fan.
I enjoy having the windows open and letting the fresh air do its thing.
We are a few short weeks,less than 3 actually, from the High Holidays. 
There is something different for me heading into the holiday season. 
I feel like maybe I am taking the opportunity to prepare for the holiday this year.
In the past, no mater how much I think about it, and how much I try to plan for it, the holidays seem to just suddenly appear and I am scrambling at the last minute to be ready for them. 
It's is as much , maybe more of  mental preparation than the actual physical preparations.
Yes the house needs to be clean.
Yes there must be some outfits to wear to shul.
Yes there are meals to be prepared and there is the interruption of my daily running of my bushiness and financial commitments.
All of these seem to be well under control at this point. Sure there will be some last minute shopping and stuff, however for the most part I think I am in pretty good shape regarding all of this.
The mental part of the season has always been a challenge to me.
Whether it was rushing to get stores set up or stressing getting late production out the door, year after year I would find that literally right up until we sat down for dinner on Rosh Hashana, I had not granted myself the gift of emotionally and spiritually preparing for the New Year.
Bam!
Rosh Hashana.
Bam!
Yom Kippur.
Bam!
Sukkot.
Bam!
 Simchat Torah.

Before I knew what hit me it was mid October and Halloween was upon me.
The Jewish Holidays were done but the holiday season continued.  
Bam!
It's my birthday.
Bam! 
Thanksgining.
The New York Halloween show and then......
Bam! 
Chanukah, Christmas and New Years.
For me it is a 3 1/2 month holiday season that sneaks up on me and then in a flash is gone and I am heading off to the yearly Halloween Show in late January followed by the cold of winter and a frenzied selling season.
 I always feel like it sneaks up on me and I am running from behind trying to catch up to connecting to this fabulous time of year.
I can say with out any hesitation this is absolutely my favorite time of the year.
Maybe this year I can actually find a way to enjoy it!
Shabbat Shalom!

September Word of the Month:
ACCOUNTABILITY

Yesterday was a really great day. The weather was pleasant and I found myself in a really fantastic mood. At one point I was singing along with one of my favorite songs on the radio. I don't mean singing like following a long. I mean belting it out as if I were a finalist on America's Got Talent.
I made some long over due phone calls.
I cleaned up a multitude of emails and tidbits that were cluttering my desk.
Like I said, it was a really great day.
Today when I awoke the skies were even brighter than yesterday. So why if that's the case am I in such a dower mood on the the first day of September and another How Am I Doin' Friday?
It has a lot to do with the September word of the month, accountability.
Like any one else, I come in contact with and have to deal with a lot of different people.
Each and every one of them have their own idiosyncrasies. 
Some may call them quirks or peculiarities. 
That's what makes us individuals not automatons.
We recognize them and for the most part we deal with them to the best of our abilities.
Some times these "quirks" become a bit much.
They create an uncomfortable environment for those who have to deal with them.
For years now it has been the "in" way of being to "just be me".
Accept me as I am is the norm of the day.
Much like the attitude that spawned Gordon Gecko's famous line from the movie Wall Street "Greed is Good", bad behavior disguised as "well it's just my way" has become the accepted practice.
Let me fill you in on a little secret.
Greed is not good. 
Neither is bad behavior disguised as quirkiness. 
We have a responsibility when we interact with others. 
I get the whole "I have to be true to myself" stuff.
However,if me being me is just flat out weird, then maybe me should go live in the woods by myself.
When others are effected by my idiosyncratic behavior, I have the responsibility of curbing my quirkiness while working in and around them. 
ACCOUNTABILITY
How do my actions effect those around me?
Did I leave a mess on the table I just ate at at the fast food restaurant?
Did I flush the toilet after I used it?
Did I put the seat down?
These are small examples of personal accountability.
It comes along with common decency. 
If others are depending on me to do something, it's Nike time.
Just Do It!
Simply saying "oops , I forgot, but hey that's just how I am" does not cut it.
My friend and colleague Doug Smith who coaches companies around leadership and team work may have some insight into dealing with this "accept me as I am" modality that permeates today's world and maybe he can shed some light on it for me.
Maybe I'm just old fashioned. 
I hold open doors for people ...all people not just pretty women.
I say please and thank you and good morning and yes I even smile at people.
And most importantly, if it is my responsibility to get something done. particularly when it may effect others, I make sure it gets done. 
ACCOUNTABILITY!
If getting something done is your responsibility, hold yourself accountable and make sure that it gets done!
Shabbat Shalom!