Celebrating Life

“I’m too old,” a friend said to me when I asked her to go with me to the (gym).   “What do you mean you’re too old?” I asked.   “I’m almost 73," she said,   "and when you get to be my age, you can’t do the things you use to do.” I’ve heard that mantra from people younger than me, “I’m old.”   They talk almost obsessively about their age.   I wonder if it’s an excuse not to try anything new.   When one says one is old, what exactly does that mean?   “I'm old. I’d just rather sit in front of the TV, and watch the world go by, content in my suffering."   Satisfied to live vicariously? Does it mean one is ready to give up on life, sit down and wait for death?   Have they stopped living? Not interested in exploring new areas? Close minded, stuck in the past; unable to accept changes? Does that mean all the aches and pains remind one of ones age.   And prevents them from trying something new? “You can’t teach an old d...

I grew up in Harlem during a time when my community was made up almost totally of African Americans. As a young child, the only people of other races I saw on a regular basis were a few teachers who taught at the elementary and junior high school, the police, firemen, insurance man, and the people who owned the stores and those who worked in the stores along 125 th St.; Nonetheless, there were times when we would go on school outings to the dental school in midtown, or to the museums.  As a teenager and a young adult I ventured into other communities, Little Italy, Chinatown, East Harlem.  As an adult I have traveled widely. I believe I have greatly benefited from learning about other cultures. The foods, music, dance have become part of me and, I believe, have made me a more well- rounded person. Living in a society or a community where all people are the same gives us a myopic point of view especially when we aren’t even interested in learning other cultures.  Someon...

"Turn it off! Just turn it off!" my friend Mattie admonished me. My blood pressure was rising as I ranted and raved about what I'd heard on TV. She reached over, grabbed the remote from my hand, and turned the set off. It took several minutes before I felt myself relaxing, giving in to the silence, my emotions returning to normal. What was I ranting about? With so much happening on the international, national, and local levels of society - political, financial, and religious manipulation; wars, right and left wing rhetoric, health care debates, high unemployment, it's enough to have one shouting at their radio, TV, computer, or worst, carrying guns openly and threatening those we disagree with. Mattie told me of two people she knew - Vernon and Lincoln. Both represent two sides of the political spectrum, liberal and conservative. They are swayed by pundits, and even though they have never been included in a survey, they feel that issues are one way or the other, r...