The Gift of You

Good morning! Merry Christmas Eve to all of you celebrating! I don’t celebrate Christmas but I do celebrate the gift of another year. Today begins the final week of 2017. Can you believe it!? I can’t! 2017 went way too fast… just like this holiday season. As I wipe the sleep away from my eyes and brew some coffee, the cold brisk air coming in from outside has me thinking and reflecting. 

2017 was a year of adjustment for me. I wrapped up my major cancer treatments in August. Adjusting to life after cancer has been, and continues to be, a journey. “Some days you wake up and feel amazing. Other days you wake up and don’t know if you ever felt okay in the first place. That’s okay! You’re in recovery,” one friend said. Everyday, I remember that simply waking up is a gift. A young woman I know isn’t waking up today. She lost her fight against cancer last week. Her emotional memorial service was yesterday. She spread light, hope and faith. She was one of the people who inspired and cheered me on during my fight. She was a gift. 

We are all gifts. Your family is a gift to you. You are a gift to them. As you unwrap presents remember that the biggest gift is you and what you put out into this world. If you are struggling…remember you are a gift from God. You are not alone. You matter. What you do matters. The kind of energy you radiate into the universe matters. Your actions on social media … on the street … in person...everyday… matter. You matter to those blessed to have you in their lives. Why? You are a gift that cannot be duplicated. 

Happy Holidays to you all! 

The Silent Prayer of a Sincere Heart

“May we be inspired by the Jewish tradition’s message that each of us has the potential to renew our lives in meaningful ways, repair that which is broken, and together, build a world of justice and peace. Jewish tradition demands that we live exemplary lives of hope and kindness, stepping in to the breach and shining the light of goodness where there is darkness. In the spirit of this season we pray for peace and safety for everyone.”

A Rabbi wrote that. I found that in one of my older blogs and remembered just how much it struck a chord with me. It still does. As most of you know, it’s the time of year Jews atone and reflect on the previous year. Speaking of previous… let me rewind to yesterday.

Yesterday, as I jogged through Central Park and took in its’ beauty I reflected. I stopped as the leaves sprinkled down from the towering trees that have called Central Park home for decades. Trees that have been there before I was even born. The leaves reminding me of what I was going through this time last year. This time last year I was in my old apartment going through chemo. I could barely walk. Yesterday, I ran nearly two miles. As the leaves fell… each one represented something to me. 

The Torn Leaf -A battle won but never forgotten and a fight that continues for so many.

The Gold Leaf-Hope. Hope because there’s always a golden glimmer of it. There’s hope in the golden rays the sun shines upon us every day.

The Green Leaf (that probably should be dangling in the air)-Regret for things I haven’t done but am lucky enough to still be able to do.

The Red Leaf-My desires. 

I looked at those leaves and found myself crying in the middle of Central Park. The last time I cried in Central Park I had just taken the, “You have cancer call.” This year the tears were of a different kind. I wiped them away… texted a fellow warrior… breathed in the blue sky… said “Thank you” and ran home.

I know this is a time for forgiveness but it’s a time to be grateful as well. I’m grateful for who I am…. the journey I am on… and the ability to ask for the forgiveness—the forgivness that thousands of fellow Jews are also asking for.

G’mar Hatimah Tovah

To those I may have wronged,

I ask forgiveness.

To those I may have helped,

I wish I had done more.

To those I neglected to help,

I asked for understanding.

To those who helped me,

I thank you with all my heart…

Remember to love each other. Show compassion for each other and lift each other up. Remember God hears even the silent prayer of a sincere heart. 

Ben Platt's Picture Perfect Night

If you hadn’t heard of Ben Platt before today, you will now. The Los Angeles native who played the prince in Cinderella, “in a blue sequined vest at the age of six,” is now the prince of Broadway. “Oh my God!” he mouthed moments after he nabbed the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for Dear Evan Hansen. “Holy Crap! Ok! This is a Tony! Hello! Ok! Ok!” he shockingly told the audience Sunday night. While Platt was in disbelief, the first Tony nomination and win for the 23-year-old was not unexpected. Shot full of adrenaline, Platt went on to thank everyone from his physical therapist to his brother-in-law who was home watching his “edible, edible nephews.” Speaking of eating... the Tony audience gobbled up his performance of "Waving Through A Window." 

Dear Evan Hansen is a show about an awkward high school student whose social status is transformed by a blooming lie following a tragedy. The story deals with bullying, teenage suicide and the perils of social media. “Everyone has a bit of Evan Hansen in them,” the newly minted Tony winner told the press after his speech. “I hardly remember what I said,” said Pratt. I remember though. The Picture Perfect star ended his speech with these words for young people:

“Don’t try to be anybody but yourself. The things that make you strange are the things that make you powerful.” 

A picture perfect message on a picture perfect night for Ben Platt.

National Cancer Survivors Day

It’s June 4th and it’s National Cancer Survivors Day! It’s meant as a day to celebrate survivors and inspire those recently diagnosed to show them you CAN. You CAN do this! 

So, Happy National Cancer Survivors Day to all you fighters and fellow survivors out there. YOU are some of the strongest people I know. YOU inspire. 

To those warriors cancer took from us. Your fight is never forgotten. YOU are never forgotten. You are here with us every day. To the cheerleaders who threw us into that basket toss so we could fly when we couldn’t… Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We could not have done it without YOU!

The fight isn’t over until we find a cure. To the researchers, scientists and doctors around the globe tirelessly trying to find a cure … You CAN. You WILL. Thank you. There is a CAN in CANcer. 

Now, let’s celebrate! 

A Journey Interrupted: Etiquette and The Great White Way

When I think about Broadway I think of these words: Magical, transformative, community, inspiring, storied. When I think about some of the people who attend Broadway shows I think of these words: rude …well... just rude. Never, “In My Dreams,” had I ever thought I’d have an urge to write this kind of blog post. However, here goes my mini-rant about just some of the audience at today’s matinee of Anastasia.

*Phones. Yup… the use of cell phones was alive and well. Why are you at a show texting and reading your mail?! WHY? Is it really that urgent?! Do you really think nobody can see the bright iPhone screen? Put your phone away and stop texting OR taking pictures. Yes. One person snapped photos and I just wanted to yell “Put the phone down and enjoy the performance! Live in the moment not through your screen!” “Learn To Do It.”

*I understand that people need to get up and leave during a show for various reasons. They need to use the restroom. They need to stretch their legs. Whatever. It’s totally understandable. However, to get up in a middle of a number is just … rude. Not just any number but “Journey to the Past.” Like come on? “Stay, I Pray You!” Even the person behind me audibly sighed. I just don’t understand getting up mid-number unless you’re having some kind of medical emergency. 

*Eating. Don’t get me started. This is what I heard during “Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)…. crinkling of multiple plastic wrappers. Not just one moment of crinkling. The whole track had crinkling over it. Would you do that during an entire work meeting? I don’t think so. 

*Leaving during curtain call. I think it’s horribly rude to leave during curtain call. The musicians, crew, actors all just worked their butts off to give you their best performance. The least you can do is give them the round of applause they deserve. How would you feel if that happened to you? It’s just rude. One lady was like “I gotta get to the Stage Door!” I get it, but seriously?” (I did write a blog about stage door etiquette a few years ago. Here’s the link http://theworldaccordingtojaz.blogspot.com/2013/03/sharpie-smackdown.html

Needless to say… a majority of people who go to the theatre are polite and quiet. There is no question about that. If you’re reading this, my grievances are probably not directed to you. My point is this. You paid a decent amount of money to enjoy a Broadway show. The person sitting in front of you did too. Some people travel across the world to see a show.The actors, musicians, stage hands, etc…. all have worked countless of hours and work 8 days a week to tell you a story and bring you some Broadway magic. I’d really love to “Close the Door” on the discussion of theatre etiquette.

A Moment In Manchester

“When I was a boy & I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me…”Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” -Fred Rogers

It’s the morning after of the attack in Manchester. Last night work was abuzz with feeds, pictures, press conferences and phone calls. “Was it just balloons popping?” “Was it an attack?” “What are we hearing?” Then… the unraveling of the knot of questions as answers began to trickle in. Our hearts sank. While I don’t directly cover international news, we all know the news in cities across the world effects everyone. An attack on innocent people is an attack on all humanity. It is the stories after the unthinkable… threading its way into my work email… that reminds me why I do what I do. The hope. The helping. The community. The coming together. Those are the stories that need to be told too. The quote at the top is from Fred Rogers. I used to watch Mr. Rogers Neighborhood as a child. Some of those people at Manchester Arena were kids. Their innocence and lives changed in an ugly act of violence. I pray they’re able to take the beauty away from the acts of kindness they witness in the days to come. Those are the stories I like to tell. The stars that are seen in the darkness. The people who are helping. 

An Ode To Mom

Thank you for being there and saying you care

For cheering me up when a boy I liked didn’t care

Thank you for the words of advice you think I don’t hear

For cutting me slack when I don’t understand Shakespeare

Thank you for picking on what I wear

It’s just another sign that you care

Thank you for making sure I know I always feel loved

It warms my soul, like an Ugg winter glove

Thank you for driving me city to city

This as I pursued a career with my sidekick kitty

Thank you for getting my Cabbage Patch Kid

Don’t think I forgot, what you did.

Thank you for teaching me Hebrew in school

Even though I broke rules and wasn’t your star pupil

Thank you for leaving me voice messages every night

For reminding me to shine in my own spotlight

This poem could go on and on … cause mom… you’re the best around

To all mothers in every town

You all deserve a diamond crown

So sons and daughters if you’re reading this

Call your mom or giver her a kiss 

Happy Mother’s Day