Update 1-6-04

Hi,

The holidays are passed, and people are writing again. Or else we're all just frozen in.

First, as he puts it, "Musings from Moss in Maine." From Allen Moss:  To all the great people in the class of 1965: Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year from my little hometown of Brunswick, Maine! And special thoughts to those classmates who have come back into my life as "new/old-" found friends. It has been wonderful talking (or cyber-chatting) with you during this past year. I look forward to more of the same in 2004.
     On a more sobering note, I just got finished applying for, and getting accepted by, a long-term care insurance provider. Yikes, talk about a gruesome slice of reality to have to deal with: such pleasant topics such as, my own mortality -- or worse, incapacitation by any number of potential diseases, syndromes, and/or conditions as I age. Makes me want to kick up the yoga and treadmill sessions to maximum overdrive! As I read through the insurance papers and reviewed the INCREDIBLE of list of ills that may be awaiting me, I was struck by how fortunate I had been to this point in my life. It confirmed in me something that I have thought about for a long time -- that all of us who have experienced a good deal of health and happiness in our lives, be it through satisfaction with ourselves, great spouses, partners, kids, a wonderful place where we live or a pretty satisfying job or career, should really take a bit of time to consider all of that and really "give thanks." And maybe, more importantly, that we should take advantage of these gifts at every opportunity. I think about how many people told me at the reunion how delighted they were that they had "made it" for 37 years to experience the joy of that weekend. And how tragic the realization was that some of our classmates never got that opportunity.
     So my "two cents worth of 2004 advice" is the following: tell people who you care about that you care about them! Stop TALKING about taking that trip with your partner, spouse, kids, friends, or relatives, and start making those plans NOW. And slow down and take some time to enjoy all that is satisfying to you in your life, including the beauty that Mother Nature has to offer.
     My apologies for sounding like the inside of a tacky Hallmark greeting card or the latest commercial for MCI Neighborhood! But all of us have lost or will lose someone or something that we deeply care about. We are right smack in the middle of that period in our lives where this starts to accelerate, and there is really not that much we can do to control it. We lose parents, relatives, friends, and in some awful circumstances, spouses, partners, or children (which just happened to a friend of mine in Chicago). The only bulwark against the inevitable is to make every moment and experience count in whatever way is important and meaningful to all of us.
     So, okay, it's time to step down from my soapbox. I have said what is on my mind (and in my heart) right now, and I hope it has struck a chord for some or all of you. Again, lots of Moss-in-Maine wishes for a great year for all of you -- and for many more years to come as well.

Next, some different thoughts from Zelda White Nichols: I wrote an article on disaster and evacuation survival that was just published in our local, weekly paper. This was written after speaking with many, many people in the East County area who had to evacuate during the fires and had no clue as to what to do or where to go. I was told that I was one of the very few people who did know, and that gave me the incentive to write, in hopes that at least a few more people would be helped. FEMA came out with a book that was being given out free at the county public library's last year when war with Iraq was imminent and there was a concern about Bioterrorism. The book was called Are You Prepared? and it tells how to prepare for every kind of disaster, both natural and man-made. It also tells what to do during and after the disaster. My article mentions many of their tips, as well as listing the website telling how to download the book.
The article is a bit lengthy, and I was surprised that it was not edited at all. If people are interested in reading it, please e-mail me; I will be happy to forward it, as well as other useful information, especially if you live in high fire or earthquake areas. My husband and I did follow a lot of the suggestions for preparation, and that really saved me a tremendous amount of aggravation, especially because he was away at the time of the fires. I also used some common sense, and I have a great tip that wasn't in the book. My e-mail address is: zelda.nichols@cox.net and our phone number is: 619-445-8239.

Zelda also writes: Thank God we weren't affected by the recent earthquake; fire and mudslides are enough to worry about. The earthquake, however, did hit one of our favorite parts of this state. My husband and I are wine aficionados, and there are many wonderful boutique wineries in the Paso Robles area. One of our favorites made it into the San Diego newspapers: they are known for their Zins, and one barrel that was destroyed was worth $46,000. They were one of the hardest hit, and much of the wine kegs were destroyed. Even worse, of course, was the loss of human life. Still, it's amazing how few people died compared to Iran, which lost 25,000+ for the same size quake.
A question, from Emily Kleinman Schreiber: As a public school advocate and a retired elementary school teacher now working as a writing consultant and adjunct professor, I often wonder why parents would choose home schooling. Maybe Janice Williams Teeuwe could shed some light on that question. Coincidentally, at the next meeting of Hofstra University's School of Education and Allied Human Services Alumni Association, of which I'm president, one of the presenters will be speaking about aspects of her doctoral work. The title is "Home Schoolers and the Loss of Trust."
A further e-mail address change from Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer: We finally have DSL on our home computers, but that means one last e-mail address change. It is now: MGoldhammer@verizon.net Sorry for any inconvenience.

An Internet forward from Jerry Bittman, attributed to George Carlin, and echoing many of the things Allen Moss just said: The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less. We buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, yet more problems; more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
     We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life, not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space, but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
     These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window, and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.
     Remember: spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember: say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart, and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace from deep inside of you will mend hurt when it comes.
     Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment, for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind. And always remember: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

[Rich -- A quick follow-up to this: I did a Google fact-check, because so much humor on the web is misattributed to George Carlin. Sure enough, from BreakTheChain.Org: Poor George Carlin. As one of the nation's wittiest, funniest, comedians, he frequently gets connected to anything on the web that looks like a rant or a witty observation of society's absurdities (such as "A Bad American"). This false attribution motivated him to devote an entire area of his website -- www. georgecarlin.com -- to denying authorship of stuff he didn't write. He directly addresses this chain: "The main problem I have with it is that as true as some of the expressed sentiments may be, who really gives a shit?" Now, that's the Carlin we know and love. Examples of "Paradox" on the web were attributed either to Carlin or "anonymous," but, before forwarding this one, ask yourself this question: Would you like it less if it didn't come from Carlin? If so, maybe it isn't as good as you thought.]

Finally, Marc Jonas sent me the link to a clever, supposed police department voice mail that includes the frustrated comment, "We're here to save your butt, not kiss it." In trade, I offered a song lyric from a current Broadway hit musical, Avenue Q, an adult spoof, done partly with puppets, of Sesame Street. In a song called, "The Internet Is For Porn," a stand-in for Cookie Monster cheerily growls, "Grab your dick and double-click."

The home page: http://hometown.aol.com/falcons1965a

Rich