October 25th, 2012, 2 days before the moment that would change my life forever, is a date that I remember for only one thing: It was the day which forecasters confirmed that Long Island, NY would be struck by Hurricane Sandy. I recall constantly checking various weather sites to confirm other’s predictions – and the ominous feeling that multiplied with each identical forecast. It was unanimous, Sandy was on its way and it was going to be BIG. A so called “Super Storm” was on its way and preparations were in order.
The news reports were filled with the usual precautionary warnings of stocking up on essentials and preparing for the worst. Lines at the grocery store were burgeoning by the hour, as anxious islanders attempted to heed the advice of our news anchors. Normally, I would most likely have joined the throngs of people preparing for the worst, but … Read More
There was a time in my life where fall was by far my favorite season of the year. From the almost daily receding of temperatures from the extremes of summer, to the imperceptible bleeding of the orange, yellow and red hues from a verdant sea, the majesty of fall and its dynamic changes always left me with a sense of awe and inspiration. Fall meant football, trick or treating, crisp cool nights, and a return of the warming comfort meals too hot to enjoy during the sweltering days of summer. No season is more aptly named than fall; its beginning signaling the end of the summer chores of mowing, gardening, weeding, fertilizing and all the other landscaping minutiae – the work of which is literally and figuratively wiped away in a downward cascade of color from the trees above.
From one perspective fall could be viewed as the start of … Read More
A year ago this time perhaps I was you. I had everything I could ever need in life, yet the feeling that I wanted more tugged on my brain like a child incessantly pulling their parent’s pant-leg to get their attention. I deserved more pay for my job. I needed a bigger home and a better car. I required the latest and greatest iPhone to uphold my status as a true “technophile”. My taxes were too high, gas was too expensive, my lawn wasn’t green enough and my bank account not nearly full enough. Yes, not too long ago I wanted more – and that want filled me with a repressed jealousy of those who had that which I desired. Family members who took extravagant trips, neighbors with better landscaping, friends with bigger TV’s all served to fuel my desire on a daily basis. It wasn’t fair that these people … Read More