Rainy Manhattan
October 15th, 2009
I sit here at the counter of a Starbucks on the Upper West Side, watching Manhattan roll by in the rain. Through the picture window is a constant flow of taxis, cars, pedestrians, strollers, nannies, and the occasional leashed dog. Most of the umbrellas are black. I just saw a synthetic tan toupe go by. Everyone looks so serious. I wonder if they would smile more if they carried colorful umbrellas.
I’m in familiar territory. Michael and I lived 20 blocks south of here as newlyweds and later, as new parents. This area of Broadway and Columbus marks my well-worn path, when I slipped Harrison into the stroller and walked to the local Duane Reade on Broadway, often followed by Citarella, Read the rest of this entry »
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“You know, you have to do your housecleaning chores before you can play.”
If there is one thing I wish I could tell my children about my book tours it is this: I really, really, really dislike traveling without them. Really. But I can’t let them know just how difficult it is for me to leave, or I would put them in the role of parent, and they would be forced to make me feel better about my travel.
I had the privilege of being a guest speaker at a local book group two days ago. My friend Eileen, who sought me out years ago when a mutual friend told her I wanted to feel more connected to a Jewish community, hosted the event. This wasn’t just any book group. It was a gathering of nine women who have been meeting for a decade, discussing books written on Jewish topics.
I awoke this morning to a thick shroud of fog enveloping my house. For nearly a week now I’ve awakened to fog. My house sits high on stilts, overlooking the land, communing with the treetops that neighbor it. We are equals, the trees and I. Like a child who finally reaches eye level to his parents, I feel lucky to look so squarely into the branches of my trees.
It was quite a day. Not only is it the High Holy Days – my favorite time of year – it also happens to be my birthday. It is absolutely impossible to feel anything but joy and abundance on this day. I have to wonder what I did to deserve such loving people in my life.
I have a birthday coming up in two weeks. This seems significant to me at this moment, as I sit in a dorm room at UCLA for a writer’s conference. Because it strikes me that, the older I get, the more I stay the same.
The lazy summer days are over. This is evidenced by my family calendar. It is the latest addition to our hallway decor. Some have family photos, others framed artwork or posters. The Friedes family? We have a 24×36 laminated calendar with four colors of penmanship scrawled across sixty squares.
I recently had the privilege to review a soon-to-be-released film. Called