It's just easier this way

 Soon it will be the anniversary of my start date as a driver for the JCC.

Much has changed in the 4 years since I began there.

What started out as driving a bus 2 hours every weekday morning has become a full time job.

Well ,full time until Covid hit any way.

Not that I am working less.

It's just my schedule is different (and the full time salary has been cut in half).

We've all had to tighten our belts during these trying times.

I no longer pick up passengers on my bus.

Now instead we deliver meals.Ipads for our lending program and art supplies for the different classes we offer.

I no longer have personal contact with the community we serve.

Meals and supplies for the most part are left on doorsteps or with doormen.

It's easier that way.

There's no emotional attachment.

Working with seniors,always came with it's special price tag.

It was difficult watching as illness and aging took its toll on my patrons.

Now,I have little to no contact with them.

It's easier that way.

Same can be said for my personal life.

Pre-Covid, I was going to funerals on a fairly regular basis.

Now, I can't imagine that other than a very close family member, I will ever go to another one.

It's just easier this way.

Hospital visits, visiting sick friends, social gatherings with friends and relatives are all off of the table.

With all of the restrictions today we just don't do those things.

Bottom line, it's just easier now.

Life is just easier.

The strain on my emotional well being is so much less.

Like I said, it's just easier this way.

I suppose if one was to search for a silver lining to these very arduous times, this personal disconnect could be seen as one. It's just easier this way.

Shabbat Shalom!

It's what we do

 Over the last few days, a number of people have asked me " with the storm coming, what are your plans"?

Well,I plan to deliver meals like I do every day.

Isn't that what we do?

We deliver meals to our Senior community, who for any of a number of reasons, need our help.

One would think that in a snow storm, our service would be as important as it ever is.

I'm not a nut job.

It was a snow storm, not a blizzard.

If I had any trepidations, I would have made arrangements to deliver an extra meal yesterday.

That would have been a last resort.

One of the special things about our program is that these seniors get a fresh meal delivered daily.

It's not frozen,it's fresh.

To them, it's not so much about the freshness.

It's that someone is reaching out to them 5 days a week.

It's part of their routine.

It allows them to connect.

Surely a snowstorm or some inclement weather shouldn't disrupt that.

The day was not without it's challenges.

50 mph was reduced to 15.

Highways where I normally go 60-65 mph were reduced to 25-30.

The snow was an issue.

So were the gusting winds.

I could feel the stress building in my lower back, my neck and my legs as we drove on.

The roads were not in very good shape.

Fortunately, we only got stuck once and for only a very short period before I could extricate ourselves.

By days end,we made 49 out of the 50 deliveries we had on the route for the day.

One house was just impossible to get to.Now that things have calmed down, I will jump out and deliver the last one as well.

It's what makes our program so special.

It's what we do.

Besides, it's bright and subby out now.

Why was everyone in such a panic?

And just like that.....Winter!

 It was just a few days ago that my daughter said to me"I was going to wear a coat and then I stepped outside and it was almost 60 degrees!".

On Saturday, I opened the windows in ou family room to let in some fresh autumn air.

Friday night I did the same in my bedroom.It was that perfect blend of cool night air and a warm blanket to wrap myself in.

This morning....19 degrees!

And now a snowstorm is heading our way.

And just like that,it's hello winter!

The prognosticators are predicting any where from 8" to 2'.

I'm not sure if I I am ready to buy any of what they are trying to sell us.

Still, like I do with Covid, I am willing toa) acknowledge that there is going to be an event and b) that a bit of caution and preparation is probably a good thing.

I am not going to run to the supermarket to buy up enough supplies to see me through the apocalypse.

I am sure we have enough toilet paper and paper towels to hold us over until the roads are clear.

While we probably couldn't last through to the spring thaw, I do think we are covered in the grocery department for a few days at least.

There is going to be a snow event.

How much?

I have no idea.

I have made some cursory plans in anticipation of the storm.

Even though I still had almost a half tank of gas,surely enough to get me through tomorrow's deliveries, I filled up today.

I backed the bus into the driveway for tonight just in case I have to smash my way out over a snowbank.

My plan is to start my day an hour earlier in the morning.

I have no idea how much digging I will need to do or how passable the roads will be.

Picking up the 50 meals that need to be delivered tomorrow should not be an issue. Delivering them may be a bit trickier.

Someone asked me how the new bus we purchased a year ago does in the snow.

That's a great question as we never had a significant storm to deal with last year.

I guess we'll find out in the morning!

Yep,just like that ,winter is here!

And as the words of the song of the season encourages us....Let it snow,let it snow,let it snow!

Life is like a football game

 Life is like a football game.

Hear me out on this one.

Every morning when I wake up,it's as if I am waiting for the opening kickoff.

In my mind,just like the players on the field, I expect to win today.

I will take that opening kickoff and march right on down the field and score.

That's what's in my mind.

It's not always what ends up happening.

A kickoff return for a touchdown happens every once in a great while.

It certainly is not the norm.

So it seems is the way life goes.

Rarely does my day go that smoothly or easily.

As I go about my day, there are a number of opportunities to score

Sometimes I manage to put together some nice long drives.

All too often, they stall and fall short of the goal line..

When that happen, I don't just give up.

I send my defense out,hope for a stop and another chance to score.

As I approach each new possession (opportunity) , in my mind I again believe,this time I will score.

Again, that never happens.

There are some good plays,some not so good plays and even a few fumbles.

There are also quite a few 3 and outs.

Still,I never give up.

I don't quit.

I believe even as my waking and working hours wind down and the game clock seems to be against me, in my heart I still want to try and drive the length of the field and score.

As my day ends and the final gun sounds,all I can do is look ahead to the next game, the next kickoff , the next opportunity to win!

Breakfast of Champions

 Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day. Lunch often has a tendency of leaving me sluggish and dinner is always the exclamation point at the end of a long day.

Breakfast is the meal that fuels the start of each day.

When I would travel for work,I had the opportunity to eat at some really great breakfast spots.

I would often book my hotels based on the availability and accessibility of a good breakfast.

I have fond memories of some truly outstanding breakfast experiences.

Omelets,pancakes,french toast,muffins,yogurt parfaits,date nut bread and cream cheese served on a chilled plate,grits,oatmeal,bagel platters, pastries galore and so much more.

I've eaten breakfast in over half of the states in the Union and in countries all over the globe.

I've sat,poolside.lakeside,oceanside and mountainside.

I've sat by a fireplace, on a balcony,on a deck, in a grand dining hall, on a patio and at a streetside cafe.

It's the one meal I don't mind eating at a buffet although I still prefer being served.

Still my favorite breakfast of all time, the one I call the breakfast of champions, is one I was introduced to almost 50 years ago when I worked my first job.

To me,there is nothing that beats a cup of coffee and a buttered roll!

That's what I'm talkin' about!

It's so damn blue collar!

I love it!

Diner, deli or roach coach.

It makes no difference.

There's something about tearing open and bending back that little plastic tab on a coffee cup that can't be beat.

And then,folding back the paper that wraps around the roll and taking a bite.....pure ecstasy!

Preferably a round roll,seeded or unseeded, it doesn't matter.

When possible, standing is the position of choice for consuming this gastronomical delight.

I just love it!

There is something "manly" about this breakfast of champions.

Sounds kind of nutty doesn't it?

I can't explain why,I just love it.

With or without a napkin! 

It's not even Bah Humbug

 It is the holiday season.

Tonight is the first night of Hanukah and we are 2 weeks away from Christmas eve.

Yet in these strangest of times, I have to admit,it doesn't feel very festive out there.

Those who would control every aspect of our lives are consistently bombarding us with "this is not the year to be with friends and family".

Okay,I get it,but it all seems to have had a numbing effect on the spirit of the season.

It's not that they are being Scrooges.

It's way worse than that.

Scrooge hated the holiday season.

So much so that he would lash out with his famous Bah..Humbug! aiming at any anyone and everyone.

Hate is an emotion.

I can deal with emotions.

Apathy is a lack of emotion.

It is emptiness.

It's not caring.

It's being indifferent.

This is what I seem to be seeing all around me.

There is no holiday cheer.

There are no good tidings.

Wassail has been replaced by wassup.

We're feeling it at The Grooming Shoppe.

Since we opened over 4 years ago, the weeks before Christmas have been booked solid by mid November.

Not this year.

Why?

Well, people aren't having guests over so it really doesn't matter if Fluffy gets all cleaned up.

December 25th is just another day on the calendar.

Sadly, there will be no annual holiday mug this year,mostly because I really didn't have an inspiring message to print on it.

Sad!

With Christmas day being on Friday, even the folks in my tribe will have a hard time finding kosher take out for dinner!

Really sad!

Passover was a really tough time for me.

It was the beginning of this quarantine and I was devastated missing our traditional seder.

Now during this holiday season,there is no devastation. Just a whole lot of nothing.

I almost prefer the pain I felt back in April to the nothingness I am experiencing at this time of year.

Like I said,sad,very sad!

ILL EFFECTS

 I know,it's been quite a while since you've heard from me.No excuses,I've just been really sick.

Right after the election, I started feeling really rundown.Day after day,it became harder and harder to get up in the morning. As the day wore on,I felt listless and had no energy to do anything.

Day after day,my energy level seemed to get worse and worse.

It got to the point where I could barely get through the day.

I wasn't sick from the Coronavirus.

I was sick OF the Coronavirus and all that accompanies it.

I was sick of the incessant doom and gloom.

I was sick of masks and nonsensical lunacy around wearing or not wearing them.

I was sick of social distancing,isolation,quarantining, and the hypocrisy of those dictating these terms to me.

I was sick of seeing thriving businesses closing and going under.

I was sick of every idiot telling me about the "science" of it all,most of whom couldn't pass high school bio!

I was sick of the rhetoric that has been fueling such divisiveness.

I was sick of it all.

So sick that the mere thought of sitting down at my computer to write made me want to just go back to bed.

What a shame!

After 7 years of writing on a fairly regular basis, I couldn't summon the strength to even type a single thought.

Today, I finally realized that there will never be a vaccine that can cure my illness.

There is no magic pill or potion to take.

The only way I can begin to get better is through therapy.

If you've ever needed P.T., the only way it works is if you buy in completely and push yourself.

It can be painful.

It can be exhausting.

It takes an enormous amount of commitment and hard work.

That's just the way it goes.

You know what they say about commitment.

Commitment is doing those things you said you were going to do after the mood that you said it in has left you.

It's time to feel better.

That can only come with one thing....hard work.

Today I found myself standing at the bottom of the staircase.

There is only one way to get to the top.

Take the first step,and then one more, and then one more and then........