Skype-ing

Yesterday I spoke to my kids on Skype, for the first time. I have known about this service for many years, as I set it up in my office for therapy sessions. I never had any reason to use it at home. I downloaded it last week just to have it in place for the future, when I want to cyber visit with my new grandchild. I mentioned it to my daughter in law and asked if they had a camera in their laptop. She said she would check. Last night, my son called and asked me to turn on my Skype program. I did and there they were. In living color, at their kitchen table. At first it was weird talking to the screen but after a few minutes I did not even notice. I was just having such a good time talking to my son and daughter in law, face to face. It felt like a real visit. We talked for about a half hour. After the session ended, I sat there for a few more minutes. It felt like old times, talking to my son in his bedroom. Modern technology!

Woodstock Generation

I have not been to a concert in years. The other night I attended one that was a musical review of the 1960's type of music. It was an offshoot of the play "Jersey Boys". When I arrived at the theater, I looked around and saw that the crowd was much older than I was. The predominant hair color was grey. There were people with walkers, oxygen tanks, aides and a few that still had bandaids on their arms from that mornings blood tests. I am not being cynical, only truthful. When the lights went down and the music started, the crowd turned into 20 year olds. They cheered and sang. At one point the musicians tossed a beach ball into the crowd and the audience threw it around as if they were playing beach volleyball. It was a packed house, filled with people having a wonderful time. I began to calculate their ages and soon realized that this was the "Woodstock Generation".  In 1969 these people would have been between 20 and 30 years old. That night, they were young again.

Birds on a String

Driving to work this morning, I saw some birds overhead. They looked like they were suspended in mid air. It seems that they were really just sitting on a thin telephone wire. Since traffic was at a standstill, I had time to  stare at them. They were all motionless, just "chilling out". The odd thing was that they lined themselves up equally distant from each other. The same amount of space in between each bird. Did they do this to account for their wing span? Or do birds, like humans, just need their personal space.

Robots

I read on the internet that there are now a variety of gadgets that can monitor your home when you are gone. They can tell you if your dog needs to be fed, your refrigerator door is open, your washing machine is done washing, your lights are off, etc, etc. Your home can now run without you. I do not know why we have to know everything that is going on elsewhere if we are not in the vicinity. The more that we have done for us, the less we will have to use our brains. Soon they will shrink to the size of a pea. You learn responsibility through errors. If you never have to use the cognitive part of your brain, you lose the skill to think out and solve a problem. The next generation is heading towards being robots. Hooked up to their machines, letting electronics make their decisions. The other day, one of my receptionists called me because she did not know how to solve a simple problem in the office. I guess her ipad didn't know either.

Lyrics and Lectures

I listen to an oldies station when I drive to work. Simple tunes recorded in simpler times. Some of the lyrics are silly, like the song "My boy lollipop. He makes my heart go giddy up". This morning the stations choice of songs was great. I listened to the songs as if I was listening to a lecture. The words made so much sense to me. It started off with the Louis Armstrong song "When you're smiling". What could be more true than the thought that if you smile, others will too. The next song was Frank Sinatra singing "I've got to be me". I listened to every word of that song and realized that if you were reading it instead of singing it, it could be a true commentary on leading a self fulfilled life. Maybe in one of my future lecture series, I will incorporate the topic of "Lyrics and our Lives". I would certainly have an abundance of material to work with.

TLC

We all know the expression TLC. For most of us it means tender loving care. For people in the New York area it can refer to a television station called The Learning Channel. I use these initials when I lecture but I have a different meaning for them. Take it, Leave it or Change it. TLC. Your choice in life. When you come across a situation that is not to your liking, there are always three choices. When you are unhappy at work, you can sit there in silence, quit your job or figure out what is needed to make things better. When you are having trouble in a relationship, you can stay and be treated poorly, say goodbye or sit down and discuss what went wrong. Some people see things in black and white. Take it or leave it. Truly happy people see things in grey. That's what "change it" is all about.

Family

Last night I was at a beautiful wedding. At the last minute the venue decided to have the ceremony outside. Just as the sun was setting, the ceremony began. The air was perfectly cool and you could hear the sound of the waterfall in the background. After the cocktail hour we went into the main room and waited for the bridal party to be announced. First came the parents of the groom. Next was the bride's mothers. Plural. Next came the bride's mother. Singular. Next came the bride's mother and father. Confused? So was I. I took out my wedding program and tried to match up the names and figure out who was who. I could not seem to do it. No one else could either. Then I thought about it. Did it really matter? However odd the number of people, they all loved the bride and were her parents. She was a beautiful, happy, educated woman, who was marrying a man she loved very much. Families came in all shapes and sizes. Love binds them together.