During these months of isolation, near total for many of us, pet owners’ emotional lives have become even more enmeshed in the lives of the dogs, cats, rabbits and more exotic creatures that may be their passion. Dogs have never been better walked and cats have never had less time to be in full solitary control of their domiciles. A few months into the quarantine, our beloved cat died at age 18...
A friend wiser than I in the ways of organizations is convinced that the way things start leaves an indelible mark on how they turn out. Whatever we do, we always try to get off on the right foot, whether it’s a first date, the first honeymoon night, a first day at work, the beginning of a novel or the launch of a new coffee shop. But the question that my friend’s axiom has left me to ponder over...
I’m dedicating this piece to my dear friend David K. Cohen, who died on Wednesday morning, September 23rd, the day after I finished writing it. Everything I say about the sanctity of dying during this special period on the Jewish calendar applies to David as much as to RBG. He too battled against a multitude of ailments to which he refused to succumb. She had her army of law clerks. He had his...
As many of you know, the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, begins on Friday night, September 18th and ends on Sunday night, the 20th. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement begins the following Sunday evening, the 27th. For these coming two weeks, my usual Monday postings will appear at odd times as I prepare for and participate in the observance of these important landmarks on our Jewish calendar. The...
In the last 24 hours I had two dreams which I remembered in great detail. This wouldn’t be worthy of mention for most people, but I am of the unfortunate camp for whom dreams are erased almost instantly when I open my eyes, like those children’s pads where you can make the writing disappear by simply lifting the top plastic sheet. Some people who come up empty in the morning contend that they...