All The Best

A Lovely Time

Describe your most memorable vacation.

I had traveled across much of Europe. I had visited London and Dublin and gone all over Israel. I really enjoyed a short stay in a ClubMed in Western Mexico.

And yet, none of that compares with the first trip we took as a couple. My now husband whisked me off to a long weekend in Newport RI.

A storm greeted us as we crossed the bridge to our destination. We had already slogged through an amazing traffic backup en route.

Of course, this would not have made the weekend notable.

The promise of our love and companionship is what flavored this trip and gave us the memories.

Over the years, we’ve taken many short hops in the eastern states, each a fond memory of joy and laughter.

This was just the beginning, and we all know that beginnings are special.

Know.It.All

On what subject(s) are you an authority?

I am a jack-or rather jill-of-all-trades, master-of-none, I suppose.

I like to dabble or perhaps babble about a widening range of subjects.

My authority on the things upon which I choose to expound is unquestionable.

I ask you not to question it.

Patriotism: From the Heart

It’s the season in which we are called upon to be patriotic.

It’s the 4th of July, or thanks to the quirks of the calendar, the long 4th weekend.

This year, like any other, our allegiance to this country and its democracy should come from the heart. I know it comes from mine.

There was a time when patriotism had a rhythm. And, of course, a rhyme.

George M. Cohan gave both to the songs he wrote to honor the USA; he waved the flag hard.

The myth of his being born on the 4th makes for good storytelling, but he is really the son of the 3rd.

Watching that myth unfold is an annual tradition in our house.

It is such a thrill to sing-along with Yankee Doodle Dandy.

A truly patriotic buzz runs over me as I belt out She’s a Grand Old Flag and harmonize to Over There.

Grateful

What are your daily habits?

The more lemons life throws our way, the bigger the pitcher we’ll need.

This is when gratitude is in order.

I try to make being grateful a habit for every day.

My favorite

If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?

My husband has a favorite shirt, which he prefers to all others. I think we all have outfits, which we pick to wear over others.

Sometimes, the outfit is best suited to a particular occasion. Sometimes, it’s the easiest one you run into when you open the closet.

Spirituality, gift or curse?

How important is spirituality in your life?

As a devoutly atheistic person, I tend to treat questions of spirituality as code for queries on religion.

I realize they are not the same. If asked if I were religious, I would say that God has a great deal to answer for. Am I spiritual, perhaps just the fact that I reference God suggests my ambivalence.

You are religious, aka one who takes all matters at faith value, but maybe you don’t connect closely with the greater universe.

You don’t follow the Bible or the Quaran or some other text from the annals of religious time, but you are literally in sync with the moon and the stars. Pagan and spiritual.

Spirituality has its limits if you are seeing ghosts, naive about good and evil, or indulging in reverential fantasies

Believe or doubt. You can still have a sense of kindness and respect for the forces of man and nature.

So today, I was thinking of my days teaching kindergarten. There was a boy named Chris Cohen, and as if it weren’t confusing enough for him, he somehow had a Chinese grandmother. Chris [yes short for Christian] had been adopted as a baby. His father was the aforementioned Cohen, but his mother appeared to be a shiksa.

Neither parent was Asian and Chris himself was black.

As I ruminated on this aspect of my life, I also realized that other people’s memories may not hold all that much fascination. Do you find that to be true?