Categories
Learning Life

The Gift of Being Forgiven

photo by Christopher Pierznik

I was recently listening to a podcast and the closing question was “What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?”

The guest had a great answer. Did I?

Categories
I Was There

I Was There (Twice!): Talula’s Table – “The Toughest Reservation in America”

Photo by Christopher Pierznik

“When foodies hear ‘tough reservation,’ they generally think French Laundry in Napa or Le Cirque in New York — both known for their six-month waiting lists. That’s a snap compared with a spot at Talula’s Table.”

— NPR

Back when we lived in Philly, I kept seeing news items and breathless reports about Talula’s Table, the gourmet market in Kennet Square, a historic borough about 40 miles southwest of the city, that closed every evening to transform into a cozy spot that served dinner to one group at the lone table in the center of the market.

I dreamed of sitting at that mythical Farm Table, surrounded by close friends, door locked, the only people able to eat there that night.

Categories
Life Love

A Full Life Lost

“On the death of a friend, we should consider that the fates through confidence have devolved on us the task of a double living, that we have henceforth to fulfill the promise of our friend’s life also, in our own, to the world.”

– Henry David Thoreau

Today would have been my best friend’s 40th birthday.

It should have been.

Categories
Life

A Dream Shattered

It’s after 1 a.m. on a Saturday night/Sunday morning and while I’m ostensibly doing work for a class I’m taking, I can’t stop thinking about a phone call I received today. The bottle of wine I just finished is helping with the deep reflection, just FYI.

Categories
Life

A “City Slickers” Birthday

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Last month, I turned 38-years-old.

I don’t immediately think of myself as a man in my late-thirties. I’m still struggling with the idea that I’m an actual adult.

It’s not that I feel 18 or 22, but like almost everyone else, I think of myself as some vague, younger version of me. Age has a way of sneaking up on you like that. It’s like growth spurt or a change in your weight. You live with it every day, so it’s gradual to you, but then you walk by a mirror and a different person is looking back at you. I still can’t believe I’ve been married for seven-and-a-half years and have been in the same relationship for thirteen years. I still think of the early ’00s as just a few years ago.

As Gertrude Stein once said, “We are always the same age inside.”

As I received well-wishes on my birthday, I couldn’t help thinking about City Slickers.

Categories
Life

Goodbye, Old Friend

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It’s often misguided – and sometimes even dangerous – to put value, worth, and emotion into inanimate objects.

Categories
I Was There

I Was There: Live 8 Philadelphia

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We weren’t going to go.

Categories
Greatness Hip-Hop

Nas & The Notorious B.I.G. – What Could’ve Been

Nas-and-BIG

Nas and The Notorious B.I.G. are two of the greatest rappers in history.