Tag Archives: health

Sandy – From My Perspective

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*** Please note this was written yesterday. Unfortunately,I was unable to post. Today, I am at family member’s house who has electricity. Therefore, I can post this and recharge all the electronics.

Like many, my family and I have been dealing with the storm that has ravaged the Eastern Seaboard. Thankfully, we are fine – inconvenienced but just fine. Rather than give you a play by play of occurrences I wanted to share a few snapshots.

-I did not pay any attention to the storm whatsoever until Friday. In fact, one of my students joked and asked when will the homework be due if school is canceled. I smiled, “We’ll worry about that when the time comes.”

-Shop Rite was packed Sunday morning at 8:45 a.m. when I arrived. They were already out of D batteries and had run out of flashlights. For all the difficulties this storm has caused, it was good for retail – at least it was prior to the storm.

– “You must not be afraid of heights,” my neighbor called out to me as I sat on my roof pushing leaves onto the grass. In fact, I spent nearly two hours cleaning out my gutters praying the predicted gusts were truly hours away as predicted. Actually, I am afraid of heights!

– Monday morning was eerie. With each drop and gust, I waited for it to get ‘serious.’  Along the way, my wife and I periodically watched the news. We both find it funny to watch the weather people who get stuck with the beach reporting job. Tell me, when they say everyone should evacuate, why is there always some poor person who gets stuck with that gig? You know what he/she is thinking – I better get that anchor position before next season.

– At 2:45 Monday afternoon, we lost power. Nothing dramatic occurred. One second the power was on and the next second it was off. There probably was a gust that preceded the loss in power, but I did not notice it.

-By 6:00 that evening, dinner, which consisted of left overs, was eaten and the black of dark had descended. The boys were fighting over our various lighting instruments. No surprise there. They both sleep with a light on.

-After watching a movie (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – my wife wisely had charged the portable DVD player), the boys were ready for bed. We slept in the playroom, which is mostly underground. As we do not live especially close to water, Sandy was more about wind here than rain. Anyway, our campout – the euphemism we used for our children – was a bit rough.  After the children finally fell asleep, things were calm. At least they were inside the house.

– Walking up the stairs was scary.  The sounds of the wind howling, the sight of the shades blowing, and the trees swaying was rattling. I hurried back to the safety of the playroom.

– Before I went to bed, I looked out and watched the trees swaying. The trees were battered and looked as if they were a fighter who has taken too many hits. The tree scene in the 2nd Lord of the Rings movie went through my mind. I turned away in fear and concern.

-This morning we were awakened at 6:00 a.m. by SJ’s first bathroom trip. Apparently, we can sleep through a hurricane but not by a 5-year-old who needs to pee. I noted that the winds had nearly subsided.

-When light came up, I surveyed the damage from my living room window. On my block, two arbor majesties had lost the fight. Miraculously, no one was hurt and there was minimal property damage.

-“BR, how about some Cinnamon Toast Crunch and ice cream for breakfast?” What the heck – the ice cream wasn’t going to stay for much longer. We were going to use as much of the food as wisely as we could.

Now, it is after 3 p.m. though it feels much later. I have no idea what is going on as I have barely left my home (well, I am posting at neighbors – not everyone lost power). Each of us has gone through bouts of stir-craziness.  However, we are holding up well, but with another day off tomorrow, I am concerned.

To sum up, we are fine and fortunate. Thank G-d! However, it would be nice if Mr. Potts could lend us his flying car.

A Worthy Cause

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Let me tell you what I do and what you do when the phone rings.

I reach for the phone – usually. I look at the number and then scan my memory if I know to whom the number belongs. If I come to the conclusion that I do not know to whom the number belongs, I let the machine take that one. The answering machine is very popular in my house. It gets lots of calls.

Anyway, the onslaught of charity calls is much. There are so many worthy causes. This is especially true these days when many people are out of work and therefore struggling financially. I do indeed tithe and do my best to give to worthy charities but am unable to give to all who are in need. Ultimately, I have to decide to whom to give and whom to leave out. I am sure everyone knows my dilemma.

This coming week my family and I are participating in a walk to raise money for the Lustgarten Foundation. The Lustgarten Founation is a large financial supported of Pancreatic Cancer research. We do this as a way to honor my mother-in-law who succumbed to pancreatic cancer a few years ago. My own grandmother also had pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, many of you may also know someone who has or is suffering from this terrible disease.

I have included a link here (http://2012ParamusWalk.kintera.org/grandmasylviesteam) to our team which again is walking in honor of my mother in law. If you have the inclination and the financial wherewithal to make a donation, I would appreciate it. It is a worthy organization.

Thanks for your consideration and be healthy.

Striving to See the Good

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I don’t believe in bad luck. I am a strong believer in fate. I believe everything from the big things – births, jobs, marriages — to the little things – the wind blowing, the amount of the electric bill, hair color — is meant to be. This belief stems from my belief in an all-encompassing G-d who is involved and does things for a reason that is ultimately good.  Despite that, there are times and events that can’t help but leave me wondering why, what is going on, where is the good? 

A week and a half ago a good friend of mine told me that his 11-year-old daughter has a brain tumor.  This girl has an amazing spirit.  She is a positive, sensitive, caring, and spiritual child who has not let any of the challenges she faced slow her down. Now, she and her family are faced with this incredible mountain.
A little boy who resides in my community recently underwent an umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant. His parents have been trying to find a stell cell match for some time. Unfortunately, a direct match was never found. So, now they find themselves trying this risky surgery and facing a long recovery (we can only hope and pray) process.
This afternoon, a friend of mine emailed and told me she is losing her job as of August 31st. The funding was cut and her position is being terminated. She is both scared and worried. With the economy as it is, this is certainly understandable.
Lastly, a friend of mine emailed me to let me know her oldest sister, just 49, passed away last week. She was suffering greatly from cirrhosis. The pain from the disease and other difficulties she was facing in her life became too much for her to bear. She chose her own way out.
The 11 year old has come through the first phase of her recovery well and the doctors are optimistic. The three year old continues to battle, and he has had some good days. My friend who was laid off is giving herself a day to mope and then vows to network like crazy (she is definitely the type).  My other friend and her family take some comfort that their sister/daughter is no longer suffering. 
As for me, I still believe in G-d. In fact, I am using these events and others to  inspire me to pray more. I pray for recovery, comfort, understanding, and for that which only G-d knows my friends and others need.  I pray to see the good and appreciate that in reality everything is just that.

Trying to Make it a Habit

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We all go through phases or trends. I’m sure some of us look at pictures and wonder “What the hell was I thinking?” as they examine their clothes, hairstyles, or girl/boy friends. We all have gone through “my parents are dumb” phases, “love is all you need” phase, “I can really make it as a clown” phase (or something like that).  Anyway, the question that is on my mind is when does a phase or trend become a habit?

Exercise. Hearing that word for some brings a smile and thoughts of invigoration, firm figures, and endorphins clicking. Then, there are the rest of us. I think of a Doctor in his/her white coat – maybe a finger wagging – and telling the patient “Now, remember Mr./Mrs. Normal, you have to exercise. I know we talked about this last year. You have to exercise at least 20 minutes a day five times a week or you will get further out of shape, contract a horrific disease, and die young.  Any questions? Have a nice day and see the receptionist on the way out.” Mr./Mrs. Normal exits, determined to change, and wondering about their life insurance.

In terms of exercise, well, I always take the steps and walk to and from the train or bus. I love to play basketball when I get a chance. I’ve always reasoned to myself that that was enough. After all, I am pretty good shape and my weight is good. Then there is my wife and kids – no they are not truly related. While family responsibilities keep me busy, in this case, it’s just an excuse. No more!  I am proud to say I have made some changes. Since just before New Year’s, I have been working out – really. My 25-minute workout includes the stationary bike, sit-ups, stretches, and curls. While I am still 5 1/4 short of a 6 pack, I feel good. No, not like one of those commercial testimonials that come on during the middle of the day. I feel stronger and a sense of accomplishment.

Have I made the workout a habit? I don’t know. I also don’t know what the doctor will say at the end of my visit. I’m curious. The more motivation the better.