mindfulness – Michael Likes Thinking

Us Them

Nope. That isn’t an error in the title. It’s intentional. What word would you put between those two words? The first thing that pops into my mind is us VERSUS them. Two parties on opposite sides, against each other. I don’t often think of us AND them. Two independent entities who can work together, opposeContinue reading “Us Them”

Us Them

Us ______ Them

Nope. That isn’t an error in the title. It’s intentional. How would you fill in the blank? The first thing that pops into my mind is us VERSUS them. Two parties on opposite sides, against each other. I don’t often think of us AND them. Two independent entities who can work together, oppose each otherContinue reading “Us ______ Them”

More. Or Less.

We’re all fungible. Replaceable. Basically commodities. Or so said a friend in the context of who was going to play in a pickleball game. I couldn’t argue. But it got me thinking. Aren’t we supposed to be unique and irreplaceable? So I asked myself, and I ask you, who’s irreplaceable to you? And to whomContinue reading “More. Or Less.”

Revelations From The Pickleball Court

Pickleball is having its moment. Most people I speak to have either tried it or listened to a friend wax on about why it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread (sound familiar?). I’ve been playing regularly for about a year and love it. But this isn’t about pickleball. It’s about human nature with pickleball asContinue reading “Revelations From The Pickleball Court”

My Code

Did you watch Dexter? He worked in forensics for the Miami Police Department. In his spare time he killed criminals who escaped justice. He used his code to determine if he should kill someone. My code is nothing like that. I watched a movie called Breaker Morant when I was a teenager. A line inContinue reading “My Code”

The New Sixty

Have you ever asked a little kid to guess your age? How accurate were they? I’ll bet they weren’t even close. The last little kid I asked thought I was two years old. His second guess was one hundred. I don’t blame him. I was just like him. When my grade 1 class used toContinue reading “The New Sixty”

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#1race1world

I wasn’t going to write about this. It’s a sensitive subject right now. I don’t want to offend anyone. Unintentionally, of course. But I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and this story has been gnawing to get out. So here goes. The four of us were out for a family dinner aContinue reading “#1race1world”

Ben

This one’s special. It’s about my dad, Ben Meltzer. He was born in Montreal. His parents immigrated to Canada in the 1920s. He grew up in the area of town known as The Main, near boulevard St. Laurent. His friends were also kids of Jewish immigrants. Their stomping ground included landmarks like Schwartz’s, Wilensky’s, Beauty’sContinue reading “Ben”

Mirror Mirror

Let’s try something. Ask someone to take a photo of you. Now look at that photo and compare what the camera sees to what you think you look like. I never see the same thing as the camera. Sometimes my posture isn’t as good as I think it is. Other times I look skinnier onContinue reading “Mirror Mirror”