Mark, you write so well and it resonates with my heart. Thank you for being a consistent voice of reason, a kindred spirit. When I'm aghast at the latest proclamations and lies and threats coming from DC (and Atlanta, and from so many former friends and even relatives), I feel peace when I'm reminded that there are others like me still standing up against this. Just last night, I picked up dinner from a local restaurant and I actually broke into tears as I had a flashback to going there in April 2020 when the tables were all stacked up because our awful Governor had banned restaurant dining. Sometimes I am just crushed by remembering how much they have stolen from us, how many businesses and dreams and livelihoods they have decimated. I will continue to stand free, to fight back, to live the life I want to live and to teach my children to do the same. Thank you for using your talents to unite and inspire.
What a rich, urban past you’ve experienced. Rubbing shoulders, mixing it up with folks, up close and personal. It brings to mind a gem my mom (since passed) shared with me: “I think people have egos to keep them from bumping into each other.”
It’s kinda’ like our immune systems. We need to educate ourselves and our bodies through direct contact with each other. It’s how we all learn to survive and get along together. Todays govt , the media, politicians and tech forces, whether intentional or not, are doing just the opposite.
Yes. That time is gone forever. I have to fight daily the anger I feel about the time I lost. At 63, I have much less time ahead of me. But it’s also given me a more purposeful life knowing that if I keep speaking truth, I can make a difference. Thank you for your uplifting story Mark. Blessings to you and those you love. And happy thanksgiving. We do have much to be thankful for.
Thank you for that snippet of collection of stories and how you managed to bring it around to the point. I was talking with a cousin last night... we're still that kind of family even though our parents are now all gone, and I lamented how the years of our lives were pointlessly taken from us. Well, some of us. Others of us decided that it was all stupid and we lived almost as we had BC, and others could join us or not.
Please do tell many more snippet-stories about & around Y on East Hanover, Trenton, NJ! Or just some. Or a goot chunk of those many some. We'll be here awaiting, and warmly welcoming as they arrive 😊
Mark, thank you again for writing and sharing. And a happy thanksgiving to you and yours.
You write of a time, years of time, when people lived naturally, with essential human contact, of the best kind. Our bodies and hearts and minds grow stronger through touching, activity, smiling, embracing, being close to, not closed off from, other humans.
Indeed, years of life were stolen from the ones who feared and even from those of us who didn’t.
What saddens me are many who don’t even know they live in fear, and thus, keep playing along. What these past few years have done to the kids and young adults in our midst is unforgivable. And I’m not excluding our elders; they have suffered too. I can’t let go of the wrong-doing because it’s still alive and well.
I believe your writing brings together voices who are not in the Scam-induced coma and these voices resonate and help me to feel thankful and on what better day.....
I am so sorry to hear this. I've been through it too. Seriously. If you'll indulge my 2 cents worth on heartbreaking loss: It wasn't ok. It isn't ok.
On some level, some dimension, some version of reality, the loss may shake us off one temporary life path and give us and opportunity to find the part of us that isn't formed by circumstances, and doesn't disappear when circumstances change. Your real gift may have to be given psychologically or in spiritual meditation somehow--beaming out into the collective unconscious. (I may say it oddly, but I hope you feel it.)
I can't know, but I can sense that "You are who you are," and you hold space for what you care about, somehow, no matter what you are doing. Best wishes to you.
remember the days back when "we all just got along" and no one felt threatened judged or angry.
...okay, well there were people suffering from "neglect" on so many many levels, but not like today.
Personally, it saddens me that I do not have the same freedom with out someone else judging my intentions. I love interacting with people. We need to accept that all of us
are very different. How did that change? We used to love that others ate a different break fast. lived in a completely different house, parents that came from even another culture. That was the coolest thing. My parents grew up in Holland, survived WW2, met after the war, married moved to US. Daddy became an accountant (he even had a job as an accountant at age 14 in Rotterdam Holland). We lived in NJ too for a while.
Dad traveled the world for GAO, he always brought back fabrics and treasures.
when I was a teenager, living in Maryland, my friends described my house as a museum.
I enjoyed my friends houses, with all of their amazing stuff that we did not have. It was just super fun and interesting.
Happy Thanksgiving Mark
We are fortunate to have lived a long stretch before the "planet changed"
Your comment made me think of all we've lost since the late 70s. If you went to a different city, there were different stores, where you could buy different things than what was sold in your city. It was so cool that everyone and, mostly, everything was different. Now, everyone and everything is generic. Everyone talks the same, everyone thinks the same, everyone eats the same things, everyone wears the same clothes, everyone drives the same cars. If you aren't the same you're attacked, at the very least, made fun of. It makes me ill, that all the uniqueness of my beautiful country has been beat out of our citizens.
Yup. I’ve thought about this when I take long drives to far away places. Same stores. Same everything. I relish in being the kooky middle aged lady who says weird shit and talks too candidly to strangers.
For a large number of people, there were never good ole' days when "we all got along." That was a temporary bubble some of us were sheltered in. We just didn't get that there is no such thing as win/lose. It it only the appearance of win/lose temporarily. Win/lose is really lose/lose on a timer.
Why the people need the right leaders. Leaders are a necessary evil. We need the sort who farmed the land and rode horseback long distances to serve the people. Not the present kleptocrats.
I’ve said for ages that our country is too rich. People have little to strive for anymore. We need to get back to the Land. Trouble is that Land is being bought up by China and our elitist snots like Bill Gates as well as large corporations…..pushing up prices so the low to average wage earner becomes a renter and thus a slave. Makes me sick! 🤮
I was at my local gym the night they closed. I said we should be able to sign a hold harmless agreement and continue on our lives. Only one desk clerk agreed with me. I was disgusted that night at the charade.
I used to belong to the Y. But they had been going woke for a long time before the COVID scam came around, and when it did, they leapt at the chance to virtue signal and closed off much of it.
They left portions closed for far too long after it become obvious that COVID was bullshit and not hurting anyone. They just couldn't give up their virtue signaling.
About this time, they sent out one of their e-surveys and I responded with very direct language about the farce they were engaging in. All to no effect, of course.
I'm no longer a member. I can't stand those assholes and their "exercise safely BS" and I damn sure won't give them my money.
I am honestly humbled by your ability to write, Mark! Every sentence here is to be savoured. No purple prose, yet your descriptions hit the heart and soul. Absolutely brilliant story.
Thanks, Star. I review these multiple times before I post them. I try to write exactly what I see/remember without any exaggeration. And I try to cut unnecessary words. I want to respect peoples' time.
Beautiful words, thank you. Even though this was essentially a collection of very sad stories the humanity shone through. I hope the same can be said of what is unfolding now; trying to stay positive - let love win!
There wasn't one word that I disbelieved. I've had very disparate friends throughout my life, too. Though not because I was playing basketball. (I suck at sports.)
Always an endorphin hit when I see a new dispatch. Good story, Mark. I enjoy your various life exploits mixed with the dystopian circus we’ve been through the last 3 years. Happy Thanksgiving, albeit a tad late.
Great article Mark! Well done. As I read through your description of the inner city, it reminds me of where I was born, Buffalo NY. I left long ago, but when I occasionally return, what I see breaks my heart. Instead of pissing money away on foreign countries, how about cleaning up our inner cities? My heart breaks. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Mark, you write so well and it resonates with my heart. Thank you for being a consistent voice of reason, a kindred spirit. When I'm aghast at the latest proclamations and lies and threats coming from DC (and Atlanta, and from so many former friends and even relatives), I feel peace when I'm reminded that there are others like me still standing up against this. Just last night, I picked up dinner from a local restaurant and I actually broke into tears as I had a flashback to going there in April 2020 when the tables were all stacked up because our awful Governor had banned restaurant dining. Sometimes I am just crushed by remembering how much they have stolen from us, how many businesses and dreams and livelihoods they have decimated. I will continue to stand free, to fight back, to live the life I want to live and to teach my children to do the same. Thank you for using your talents to unite and inspire.
Thanks, Mama.
Find joy where you can.
Happy Thanksgiving.
This is a beautiful missive! How I miss the old days of mixing and enjoying each other’s differences!
This i what I was trying to express:
Every well-adjusted person has things they can do to meet and enjoy the company of others.
Whatever place/activity people anyone had, it was evil to take that away from them. Or foolish for them to give that activity away.
Over a not very dangerous virus. SMH.
True.
In my small way I enjoy my interaction with people not like me and connecting with them.
I guess that they are making as big an effort as I am.
What a rich, urban past you’ve experienced. Rubbing shoulders, mixing it up with folks, up close and personal. It brings to mind a gem my mom (since passed) shared with me: “I think people have egos to keep them from bumping into each other.”
It’s kinda’ like our immune systems. We need to educate ourselves and our bodies through direct contact with each other. It’s how we all learn to survive and get along together. Todays govt , the media, politicians and tech forces, whether intentional or not, are doing just the opposite.
The pols know this is a Scam.
Yes. That time is gone forever. I have to fight daily the anger I feel about the time I lost. At 63, I have much less time ahead of me. But it’s also given me a more purposeful life knowing that if I keep speaking truth, I can make a difference. Thank you for your uplifting story Mark. Blessings to you and those you love. And happy thanksgiving. We do have much to be thankful for.
Thank you for that snippet of collection of stories and how you managed to bring it around to the point. I was talking with a cousin last night... we're still that kind of family even though our parents are now all gone, and I lamented how the years of our lives were pointlessly taken from us. Well, some of us. Others of us decided that it was all stupid and we lived almost as we had BC, and others could join us or not.
Happy Thanksgiving, Mark.
Thanks, Gabriella. I could tell many more snippet-stories about things that happened there and people I know from the Y.
So much negative consequence has flowed from the Scam.
Please do tell many more snippet-stories about & around Y on East Hanover, Trenton, NJ! Or just some. Or a goot chunk of those many some. We'll be here awaiting, and warmly welcoming as they arrive 😊
Mark, thank you again for writing and sharing. And a happy thanksgiving to you and yours.
You write of a time, years of time, when people lived naturally, with essential human contact, of the best kind. Our bodies and hearts and minds grow stronger through touching, activity, smiling, embracing, being close to, not closed off from, other humans.
Indeed, years of life were stolen from the ones who feared and even from those of us who didn’t.
What saddens me are many who don’t even know they live in fear, and thus, keep playing along. What these past few years have done to the kids and young adults in our midst is unforgivable. And I’m not excluding our elders; they have suffered too. I can’t let go of the wrong-doing because it’s still alive and well.
I believe your writing brings together voices who are not in the Scam-induced coma and these voices resonate and help me to feel thankful and on what better day.....
Blessings to all.
Thanks, Lisa.
I know there are many people who have seen the Scam. I write to let them know they're not alone.
Thank you for what you do, Mark, it means a lot. Happy Thanksgiving!
My place like that - full of characters and exercise for the body and mind - closed in march 2020 never to reopen. My heart and health are broken.
So much of that. What was your place?
I am so sorry to hear this. I've been through it too. Seriously. If you'll indulge my 2 cents worth on heartbreaking loss: It wasn't ok. It isn't ok.
On some level, some dimension, some version of reality, the loss may shake us off one temporary life path and give us and opportunity to find the part of us that isn't formed by circumstances, and doesn't disappear when circumstances change. Your real gift may have to be given psychologically or in spiritual meditation somehow--beaming out into the collective unconscious. (I may say it oddly, but I hope you feel it.)
I can't know, but I can sense that "You are who you are," and you hold space for what you care about, somehow, no matter what you are doing. Best wishes to you.
I enjoyed reading this.
remember the days back when "we all just got along" and no one felt threatened judged or angry.
...okay, well there were people suffering from "neglect" on so many many levels, but not like today.
Personally, it saddens me that I do not have the same freedom with out someone else judging my intentions. I love interacting with people. We need to accept that all of us
are very different. How did that change? We used to love that others ate a different break fast. lived in a completely different house, parents that came from even another culture. That was the coolest thing. My parents grew up in Holland, survived WW2, met after the war, married moved to US. Daddy became an accountant (he even had a job as an accountant at age 14 in Rotterdam Holland). We lived in NJ too for a while.
Dad traveled the world for GAO, he always brought back fabrics and treasures.
when I was a teenager, living in Maryland, my friends described my house as a museum.
I enjoyed my friends houses, with all of their amazing stuff that we did not have. It was just super fun and interesting.
Happy Thanksgiving Mark
We are fortunate to have lived a long stretch before the "planet changed"
Your comment made me think of all we've lost since the late 70s. If you went to a different city, there were different stores, where you could buy different things than what was sold in your city. It was so cool that everyone and, mostly, everything was different. Now, everyone and everything is generic. Everyone talks the same, everyone thinks the same, everyone eats the same things, everyone wears the same clothes, everyone drives the same cars. If you aren't the same you're attacked, at the very least, made fun of. It makes me ill, that all the uniqueness of my beautiful country has been beat out of our citizens.
Yup. I’ve thought about this when I take long drives to far away places. Same stores. Same everything. I relish in being the kooky middle aged lady who says weird shit and talks too candidly to strangers.
Yes! I WANT to be different, at least in some ways, from other people.
I still do sometimes.
I just have to be me.
I really do not care if someone else thinks I am a dope, or .. a nut!
I only "care" when they get in my face about it. Because it scares me, you never know what people now will do to you for being different.
well stated Bandit.
Beat out indeed.
I feel so very fortunate to have lived in those before years.
We did not lock our doors, we kept change for gas in our ash trays (well, I did)
and no one gave a darn about how special you are.
Everyone is insulted these days. Insulted, outraged or disgusted
For a large number of people, there were never good ole' days when "we all got along." That was a temporary bubble some of us were sheltered in. We just didn't get that there is no such thing as win/lose. It it only the appearance of win/lose temporarily. Win/lose is really lose/lose on a timer.
As we go forward understanding that overcoming the fear and resulting desire for security is at the root.
People are just so soft and gullible. And they don't think of the cost of what they do/agree to.
Either we all learn or be willing to go extinct. This is the watershed. We live in it.
Waiting here for Everyman. Everyman will never wake up.
Why the people need the right leaders. Leaders are a necessary evil. We need the sort who farmed the land and rode horseback long distances to serve the people. Not the present kleptocrats.
I’ve said for ages that our country is too rich. People have little to strive for anymore. We need to get back to the Land. Trouble is that Land is being bought up by China and our elitist snots like Bill Gates as well as large corporations…..pushing up prices so the low to average wage earner becomes a renter and thus a slave. Makes me sick! 🤮
I think at first, people wanted to do the right thing.
Then, it just spiraled out of control.
The right thing was to leave things open. It never made sense to close anything. Not even for 15 minutes.
I said it then and people disagreed with me.
I was at my local gym the night they closed. I said we should be able to sign a hold harmless agreement and continue on our lives. Only one desk clerk agreed with me. I was disgusted that night at the charade.
I used to belong to the Y. But they had been going woke for a long time before the COVID scam came around, and when it did, they leapt at the chance to virtue signal and closed off much of it.
They left portions closed for far too long after it become obvious that COVID was bullshit and not hurting anyone. They just couldn't give up their virtue signaling.
About this time, they sent out one of their e-surveys and I responded with very direct language about the farce they were engaging in. All to no effect, of course.
I'm no longer a member. I can't stand those assholes and their "exercise safely BS" and I damn sure won't give them my money.
No it didn't make any sense. We need to return o Common Sense.
Exactly.
Yes it was a trap and they fell for it. Sad, tragic.
I am honestly humbled by your ability to write, Mark! Every sentence here is to be savoured. No purple prose, yet your descriptions hit the heart and soul. Absolutely brilliant story.
Thanks, Star. I review these multiple times before I post them. I try to write exactly what I see/remember without any exaggeration. And I try to cut unnecessary words. I want to respect peoples' time.
What a roller coaster ride of a read.
Rest In Peace, Wellsy.
Gonna play some ball with the kids today.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Beautiful words, thank you. Even though this was essentially a collection of very sad stories the humanity shone through. I hope the same can be said of what is unfolding now; trying to stay positive - let love win!
A mix of sad and happy. Like life.
And it could have been way longer. I could easily name many dozens of guys and tell you stories about each one.
A very beautiful and gut wrenching post. How far we have fallen.
Thanks, Bandit.
It's all true. And could have been much longer.
There wasn't one word that I disbelieved. I've had very disparate friends throughout my life, too. Though not because I was playing basketball. (I suck at sports.)
Always an endorphin hit when I see a new dispatch. Good story, Mark. I enjoy your various life exploits mixed with the dystopian circus we’ve been through the last 3 years. Happy Thanksgiving, albeit a tad late.
I hope you are wrong that the "time is gone forever."
AnneMarie, I hope you're well. Thanks for checking in.
Great article Mark! Well done. As I read through your description of the inner city, it reminds me of where I was born, Buffalo NY. I left long ago, but when I occasionally return, what I see breaks my heart. Instead of pissing money away on foreign countries, how about cleaning up our inner cities? My heart breaks. Happy Thanksgiving to all.