Monthly Archives: June 2011

Happy Father’s Day – Mr. Solomon Leon…My Dad (Love you!!!)

by in Father's Day, Mentor | Leave a comment

It is a beautiful Sunday morning and to start off the renewal of another day, I took a walk to Wild Flour to get a pesto, mozzarella, sun-dried tomato turnover and walnut cranberry cookie. Every porch I passed or walker greeted me with a “Hello” or “Good morning” and upon the final turn to my street from the stairwell I heard “Good morning and Happy Father’s Day to you”.

Today is the annual reminder to say thank you to the original elder role model. In a way, parents are your first marriage. Each year for your entire life on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day you show them with love, food and gifts and reinforce that they mean more to you now then the day you met (Or first memory of them).

Also, it is one of the few times of the year, the US Postal Service actually works above and beyond the call of duty. With the warmth of a card, a evening of dining, a BBQ, a trip to the flea market or just sitting on the porch, we say “Here’s to you dad, you are one swell guy”.

I thought I would give a list of the reasons I love my Dad (This is not in lieu of a gift..).

1. He makes a great wing man. Strangely, he tends to get more women being all sweet with him then I ever do. The man has charm.

2. He loves to disagree with me on everything.

3. I am fairly certain that I would be financially bankrupt if it wasn’t for him keeping an eye on all my money. Half the time, I don’t even know what I have.

4. His obsession with grocery shopping and coupons changed me forever. I never use coupons and I have no rhyme or reason to how and when I grocery shop.

5. If I ever need the score of a Mets or Jets game, I am certain he won’t know. He is so focused on his Yankees and Giants that my sports interests are consistently not a priority to him.

6. He gets to his point quick. If he has a question, he asks and moves on. If he likes something he tells you or just puts it away. A man of few words but many actions.

7. He loves to pretend he doesn’t like people.

8. He won’t pay for parking unless he has eliminated all other options.

9. He knows each street and route in Manhattan and the neighboring boroughs yet doesn’t know the streets of my hometown

10. He can sniff out a bargain like a hound dog and loves the day after holidays when candy is super cheap and he usually doesn’t even eat it.

11. He finally subscribed to my blog!!!!

12. No matter what is wrong, simple or complex, he is always there for me and always supports the choices I make.

Thank you Dad for everything…

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A Perfect Storm

by in Enya, Tea | Leave a comment

Good morning world.

It is Saturday morning, a cup of rasberry pomogranate tea, my Saturday morning mix and the dead silence of everything around me. Truly the perfect storm. It is in the midst of such an auspicious morning where the dew in the air and a slight refreshing breeze are the stars of the performance, we are reminded of the simple moments of comfort and seclusion so few of us get during the course of a week.

The world is continuing to revolve, proven by the opening section of the Wall Street Journal, but as most of my surroundings continue to sleep, I am going to embrace this moment.

Many of us over think and rationalize our decisions several hundred times a times a day, but how often to we just reflect on the little joys of our lives. Maybe take a moment to look at a home video or pictures of you loved ones. It is such a rewarding experience to do nothing. There is no measurement indicating an accomplishment other than the small grin you will feel growing on your face.

Let you hair down, sit on the porch a little longer and forget your troubles for just an hour. In a way, it is your body recharging its batteries so that you can face the world full of abundant energy.

Sometimes I even need a reminder to accept the goodness in my life and not feel overwhelmed with all the challenges.

There is no educational value in this morning’s writing except to take this written lullaby as a reward to all the promise you have brought to others and give yourself the gift of you. This is your time to watch the clouds pass by, let the rain fall on your face and enjoy a perfect storm.

Close your eyes, feel the warmth of the sun and welcome in a new day, a new weekend and another day of the gift of life. It feels good, doesn’t it.

Don’t Cry – Original Screenplay (About losing a friend during September 11 Attacks)

by in 911, Big Chill, Death, Rutgers University, screenplay, September 11, Tinsley Hall, Twin Towers, World Trade Center | Leave a comment

Over the course of our lives, we will each experience tragedy, some with extreme levels of anguish and some with deeply personal ties that penetrate deep into our hearts.

This is a story of losing a friend in the World Trade Center tragedy and a group of college friends whose lives each took their own direction with maturity, marriage and adolescent change. As they come together to reflect on her life and their own, they will each walk away with a lesson on life and the meaning of friendship and love.

One person, was the most affected by the loss of this friend. A man who not only lost a friendship in the rubble but lost his spiritual soul mate. This is a story about a group of young professionals who once shared a roof and a bond of friendship in a college dorm and now must once again come together to face one of the most difficult times of their lives and most of the most personal realities: mortality.

Let yourself go as you read this coming of age drama about friendship, love, death and heartbreak set to the backdrop of one of the most most devastating events in United States history.

As you reflect on your own transformation from youth to adulthood, remember all the people that influenced you, shaped your well being and gave you love that has stayed deep in the trenches of your heart.

Enjoy the original screenplay, Don’t Cry

Don’t Cry – Original Screenplay

Love: A Photo and Quote Journey of Exploration

by in Couples, Robert Frost | 1 Comment

“You can shed tears that she is gone,
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her only that she is gone,
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back.
Or you can do what she’d want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.”

– David Harkins

“If you love somebody, let them go. If they return, they were always yours. If they don’t, they never were.” – Unknown

“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.” – Mother Teresa

“Do I love you because you’re beautiful,
Or are you beautiful because I love you?”
– Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Cinderella

“Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.” – Author Unknown

“Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit.” – Peter Ustinov

“Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” – Robert Heinlein

“Take away love and our earth is a tomb.” – Robert Browning

“Sometimes it’s a form of love just to talk to somebody that you have nothing in common with and still be fascinated by their presence.” – David Byrne

“Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” – Robert Frost

“You know you’re in love when you don’t want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” – Dr. Seuss

Love needs to always prevail…or else what do we have?

by in Californication, Intensity, Judy Garland | 1 Comment

“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.”
— Havelock Ellis

Have you looked deep into someone’s eyes and saw right to their soul? The moment when you relinquish the hold you have on your heart and let it escape to the protective custody of another. It is the ultimate risk of putting you life in someone else’s hand that is the ultimate happiness and pain all wrapped in one.

Why would we leave the comfort of our inner skin to enter into an unknown abyss with the promise or perfection or the torture of a thousand needles penetrating your skin and reminding you of the chance you took; the chance that brought you down?

Because it is worth it! Death is the most studied, analyzed, interpreted, fear and yearned for entity we ever face and it is sitting on a pedestal of blackness defying gravity and reality. It is that moment when for all eternity, our being changes. What we become is not for us to judge, nor is it science, nor is it faith. It is a moment of eternal redemption. Some believe life is a test; a test of the strength of our spirit. From the moment of conscious thought to the final breath, we are faced with the opportunity to choose a path. Destiny is not written in the stars but the words we chose, the actions we face and the path we walk on. We are the gift of creation and the product of death. We have the rarest of gifts bestowed on the truest of being and that is the free will to live.

I fell hard twice. Many years have passed since the last moment I lay eyes on the two women whom I still compare against all others. Was there a common factor that drained my soul and left a deep embedded emptiness? No, there wasn’t. That is the mystery of love that no book, magazine or therapist can answer. It is that feeling you have when you close your eyes and see a slide show in your mind of every moment you spent together, every touch of each other’s skin, every gaze into their eyes and every emotion magnified by a thousand percent.

We so often read books or articles trying to explain love, that we fail to realize there is no right or wrong and in most cases feelings and emotions do not have a definition. Without definition, there is no meaning and explanation. We enter love as a blank canvas, but are equipped with the paint and brushes to make an artistic masterpiece.

Love is a promise. Not of eternal partnership, but one of committing mind, body and soul to someone that pumps life into you, makes you believe in something bigger than yourself, gives you the inspiration to achieve greatness and is always there with a hug and a moment of comfort. It is that moment when you want to make that promise, that you know your heart found it’s match.

Love is not something that you grow into nor is it earned. It finds you like a bullet finds its victim. With a force of a hundred horses, it penetrates your skin and tears letting blood flow out of you, making you vulnerable and weak. In a way, when love finds you, you become a victim to the most amazing roller coaster ride of your life.

If you haven’t taken the ultimate risk, there is no reason to wait…
Don’t seek out a catalyst or life changing event to give you a reason.
Take your state of mind and body and if you find someone that shares that mutual thrust of emotion, dive into the deep end and let yourself drown. If it is right, you will be rescued.

“For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” —–Judy Garland

My Own Private Idaho…In the Heart of Charleston (The Remedy Market on Spring Street)

by in Charleston, Micro Brews, Neighborhood, Restaurant, South Carolina, Spring Street, The Remedy Market, Wine | 3 Comments

The Remedy Market on Spring….Where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came…

http://theremedymarket.blogspot.com/

162 Spring Street
Charleston, SC 29403

Let us begin with John, trended out behind the bar with his black shirt, sideburns and jeans ripped in all the right places to make even the Diesel designers jealous. With an occasional visit to the concrete patio to have a smoke, he is typically behind the bar with stories that you would hope to hear from the ring leader of a traveling circus. With attention to detail and a flamboyant style, he will take you to the ends of the world and back. Having left a very successful career, John has chosen a to pursue a path of helping the less fortunate. The Remedy is his stepping stone to a life of honor and modest reward.

Adaline has a smile that brings electricity to the room. No visit is complete without one of her warm genuine hugs. The better half of our owner and proprietor Billy, she brings beauty, intelligence and a feminine charm to this little gem. Ladies, she also makes a great wing woman.

Patrick and Ginger are the quiet residents of this Utopian facade. Anthony runs boats when not putting back a few Yuengling beers while Ginger will obediently be by your side if you scratch her back and give you a warm doggie to human hug.

If you see a larger than life Green Bay Packers fan with a cultural mix of Asian and Jewish, you are in the right place. This local may account for almost five percent of the total sales of this establishment and is a warm and welcome voice if you want a good micro brew and a friendly voice to share an hour with.

Back to Billy. When you meet Billy, you will see a fit tan man with dreadlocks and after five minutes the feeling that you want to go to his house for a Thanksgiving dinner. He isn’t your typical restaurant/bar owner. Billy is your neighborhood friend that you want to go out of your way to spend time with because he cares about who you are and values all the time you spend in his home. The money is a bonus. With a handshake and an introduction, you are an instant fan and with a selection of wine, microbrews, kava, coffee and some of the freshest breakfast and lunch/dinner selections in Charleston, one cannot feel a personal sense of commitment to The Remedy Market.

I cannot leave out the Stroh’s Artist. A man tormented and obsessed between the synergies of life and death, an artist whose weapon is patels and the canvas; a guitarist, bassist and drummer and without a doubt my life line in the music category of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. His bohemian lifestyle and acceptance of all things living is an aura of energy lacking in so many.

Tinkerbell is a cute curly haired geek you will see most nights. Not necessary due to her obsession with Nick the bartender, but her temporary adoption into the family. Spending her summer away from academic study at Duke University, she is another of the Remedy family that lets the night pass by surrounded by intelligent, humorous banter that leaves lasting memories long after last call.

On Wednesday, they offer an open mic experience where all are welcome to sing, perform or recite. Surging into the weekend with an outdoor music lineup, you have the opportunity for a neighborhood block party without the need to stay behind for cleanup. I cannot emphasis enough how open this atmosphere is, welcoming all ideas and beliefs in a sharing and collaborative environment.

Some restaurants provide convenience, excellent customer service, unique dining experience or exceptional food, but the rarest of qualities is passion. When you have an opportunity to walk through the door and experience a sense of belonging, deep energy and passion, genuine community and a positive sense of friendship you have a rare experience….almost like Neverland.

The Remedy Market is a place you can call home, where the door is always open for you, the beer is cold, the food is hot and every night the stage is set for a memorable chapter in your life.

We are all healers…..

by in Couseling, Healers, Helping, Mentors, Michael Jackson | Leave a comment

This morning I had brunch at Cork Bistro. Not because of the amazing reputation of the chef or the diverse menu selection, but because of Burk. Burk was a long time resident and cornerstone of the community. A simple man who enjoyed a shot of Bucca and a Budweiser. In memory of his passing, 20% of all sales today are being donated to a local children’s organization. In passing, the man and his legacy continues on to help the next generation have all the chances at a great life similar to the one he led. Burk was a kind man with a warm heart who cared about his family, friends and the community and the power of that influence has carried over even while he lay in his eternal resting place. That is a healer.

Healer*:

1. To make healthy, whole, or sound; restore to health; free from ailment.
2. To bring to an end or conclusion, as conflicts between people or groups, usually with the strong
implication of restoring former amity; settle; reconcile: They tried to heal the rift between them but
were unsuccessful.
3. To free from evil; cleanse; purify: to heal the soul.

*Courtesy of Dictionary.com

In the last week, two individual whom I have closely counseled and provided guidance and assistance to in their pursuit of a perfect career move found their calling and were recognized for the true talent they bestow.

Emily upon receiving a job offer one hour after the conclusion of her interview in Silicon Valley sent me an instant message:

“I got the job! I got the job! After 22 months of looking and 12 months in San Francisco, I’m moving”

It was such an uplifting message to be compared to the great speeches of Braveheart or Lou Gehrig.
Ok, maybe not to that extreme, but to see the enthusiasm and pure exhilaration in her heart was the most rewarding thing I could ever ask for.

Transforming herself from a young benefits analyst in the non-profit sector to an HR Business Leader supporting all human resource functions for a fast paced technology company, Emily has found her dream calling. That is quite a testimony to her potential and her skills. All this came about with hard work, diligence, and the ability to leverage her abilities and expose herself to network within her industry who found and recognized her passion and aptitude.

Candice recently took advantage of an open niche and transformed, in true Wonder Woman style, from a career in education to a Social Media Consultant without limits or boundaries. She has tirelessly educated herself on the key elements of social media studying the marketing, branding, image recognition, networking and communication domains to put herself in a position to not only shift career paths, but to be a successful consultive asset. She has started a new company and has been approached and hired as the one and only social media consultant for a media/web design company. This is a tremendous accomplishment for a woman who just learned what Twitter was no more than a year ago.

We all have the ability to heal. Whether we are doctors, athletes, educators or industry leaders, our expertise is a tool to be shared. We have to power to influence others and help guide them to a path of success. We can fall into the deep trenches of recession and let statistics and money weigh down our mood or use the talents we possess to reach out to the community and offer ourselves to those that really can benefit from our wisdom and direction. Now is the time, more than ever to heal.

It is that medicine that, in the end, will end up healing you with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

When you help someone, you aren’t just doing a good deed, you are healing because pain is not often felt from just the outside.