Great Words to End the Year

Whenever I stay in a hotel, I always look forward to getting up in the morning and opening the door for my copy of USA Today. It makes me feel like I am home.

It is usually the Sports or Business section that gets my attention, but yesterday "The Final Word" from the Life section reached out to me.

I am in Akron, Ohio with my wife witnessing the passing of her mother. It has been a long and trying year, but she is comfortable at the Hospice and will soon join her friends and relatives in a better place.

These situations do make you think about your own mortality, thus my interst in Craig Wilson's piece.

He writes about a photographer, Brian Peterson, who has written about death and it's realities.

Peterson reflects on art and artists, on creativity and where it comes from, and along the way he bares his soul, sharing tales about his sister's death, his childhood home, his dog Sparky, and how Walt Whitman gave him "nourishment" once as he waited at a bus station years ago.

Luminous essays all, but one, less than three pages long, stands out. It's called "Strange Gifts."
In it Peterson talks about the approaching deaths of two men — one a guard at the museum where he works; the other a neighbor.

"Death was a gift for both of them — a strange and terrible gift that woke them up and opened their eyes to the reality of the world they were leaving," writes Peterson, who admits their deaths were a gift to him, too.

What he learned from them both — to pay more attention to the world around you — is an age-old lesson few of us ever learn.

We are all in a hurry. We don't even see the roses, let alone stop to smell them. We travel to the far reaches of the Earth but rarely see what's there. We sing "Slow down, you move too fast," but we don't hear the message.

"When I'm brushing my teeth at night and staring at my aging face in the mirror," Peterson writes, "sometimes I ask myself, 'Well, how did I do today? Did I miss anything?' "


As I titled the post, these are great words to the end of the year.

I hope you will look for the roses. I know when I travel to the far reaches of the earth (does Newark count), I will. Have a safe and a happy New Year. And thanks again Craig and Brian for the great words.

For the full text of the article:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/finalword/2009-12-30-final30_ST_N.htm

Cry Me a River

Ok, I usually leave sports out of my blogs. Unfortunately, one sports genius chose to open his mouth and it has been eating at my craw all weekend. Stan Van Gundy (Warning: I am not a fan of Stan or his team, but I have tolerated his antics until now) decided he needed to take a stand on NBA games on Christmas. He was upset that he had to coach a game on the holiday. It was so upsetting that he had to protest to reports covering the game. Could it be that he did not want to talk about his team getting beat by the Celtics? Could it be that his salary of $4 million per year is not enough to merit him leaving his home on Christmas and driving to the arena? Could it be that he is so religious that he refuses to work on holy days?

I am not sure if any of my questions are correct. I only know that Stan chose his profession. If he does not like working on a holiday he could be my trash collector. Because of Christmas my trash pick up was postponed to Saturday. A day of 20 degree temperatures, constant snow, and a brisk wind. Oh and they were at my house at 5:30 AM. Stan on the other hand had to coach a game in Orlando at 1:00 PM and there is the little thing of a $4 million salary.

Stan, you win my cry baby of the year nomination. I hope the Magic come to their senses and let you stay home all the time.

Check out Cannonball

I picked up a bottle of 2006 Cannonball Cabernet Sauvignon over the weekend. It was a great surprise. Tastes like a $50 wine at less than $20. Check it out.

I will add some "tasting notes" later.