The JackB

So it is another Saturday night and I am feeling kind of funky, not particularly unhappy or melancholy, but not ecstatic either. Not that there is anything wrong with that, so do I sound like Jerry Seinfeld.

In a short few weeks my second child will join my family in the “outside world” and I’ll have one more person under my care. Some people are really concerned about the world, they live in fear of what could happen, what might happen not what will happen. And I am just so thankful that I am not caught in that trap.

I cannot blame people for feeling a certain way, but I cannot accept such a negative view of the world. In part because I had the good fortune to be born in the US and to have done something with my life. When I look at history I cannot help but be optimistic, there is less brutality and senseless death in so many ways.

We do not live in the Dark Ages, but it does feel like it sometimes. OTOH, we see medical advances enable our friends and family to overcome health issues that would have killed them a generation ago. So there is progress.

On a different front I must say that I want to know what the hell Jerry Buss is thinking. Jerry, you used to be the finest owner out there and now you are turning into Steinbrenner. Why?

But It’s True – Torah.org: “‘I’m not speaking Lashon Hara–its true!!’ ”

So much to consider when we discuss being honest and forthright with people. At what point does honesty become brutal and at what cost does that honest come. Sometimes our words are like the stones that drop into a still pond causing ripples whose consequences we cannot predict.

ESPN.com: Page 2 – Remembering Ralph Wiley

I really enjoyed reading his columns, there was an energy and a life to them that reminded me of Jim Murray. I know of no better compliment than that.

acts of kindness, Pirkei Avot: “Choose yourself a mentor;

Acquire yourself a friend;

And make it your habit to judge every person favorably.

�Yehoshua ben Perachia”

The first two lines are sensible and easy to do, or one would hope. One can never have too many friends. It is always good to have people you can trust, who you can share your hopes/dreams/fears with.

Community is important, we are communal creatures.

A mentor is a good idea as well. Very few of us try activities in which no one else has ever engaged in. So it makes sense to try and find a trustworthy person who can share their experiences with you and hopefully assist you in avoiding some of the pitfalls that can hit you.

The final component is really tough. It is just hard not to judge people. We are consistently forced to evaluate people and it is not easy to just ignore your first impressions.

Pirkei Avos – Torah.org: “Only we can fulfill that most basic and fundamental commandment of all: Know thyself. ”

And that is the real challenge that we face through life, trying to understand who we are and what we stand for. This is something that evolves through time as we grow and evolve. At least you hope that you do not stagnate and that you do continue to grow.

We can find guides and recommendations on how we should live, but we cannot let others live our lives. They may share in it, but they can never truly feel our feelings or understand our thoughts. In some fashion we are always alone. But this is not a bad thing.

Spent a few minutes considering what the last year of my life has been like and came up with the following list. Since May of last year I have had/experienced the following:

The company I was working for split into two new companies.I was sent to work for the prince of darkness and his evil consort for 8 months after which they let me go. No surprise, it was expected. For that matter it was a race to see if I could find omething better before they let me go.My grandmother died and my grandfather moved into my parents home. My wife got pregnant with our second child. My other grandmother had a series of heart issues including a major heart attack and managed to survive, but the docs are questioning how long.My sister had her third child and my parents flew out to meet the newest grandchild. While they were out there my father had a heart attack and some other major health issues. We were told that there was a very strong chance that he wouldn’t make it, but he proved them wrong and two months later is healing, albeit 3k miles away from here.My sister had an emergency operation in which her gall bladder was removed, but is doing ok.

The lack of spacing is intentional because that is what this past year has been like, sort of. It really isn’t close to what it has felt like, but I wouldn’t expect anyone to be able to truly get it and that is ok with me. This is my burden and my task to bear.