La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

These are very challenging times for so many reasons. Many of us have lost loved ones, some of us have lost our jobs or had them shut down, hopefully for the time being.

This are especially trying times for people like me who are very social and love to be out and about. Ironically, as much as I love directing television, my shpilkes makes it very difficult for me to hunker down at home.

“Shpilkes” is Yiddish for a playful gas and a fun way to describe being ADHD.

Fortunately, I chose this time to adopt a puppy, which I could not do when I was directing, going from movie to movie. I’ve got a wonderful companion who is by my side most of the day unless I’m playing golf or singing karaoke.

Rosie is now a year and a half old and like me she is very social. We rotate between several off-leash dog parks and we’ve both made lots of new friends.

And there is another new huge sea of change in my psyche. I’ve always been impatient, in a hurry to get from one place to another, in a hurry even if there was no reason to hurry. The people who hired me to direct projects with challenging schedules really appreciated my pace and efficiency as well as my storytelling ability.

Recently I had an epiphany and had a very serious talk with myself and decided that I ain’t in no hurry and it’s time to take a deep breath and smell the roses. Literally, as well as figuratively.

So one of the things I do now is to take a different route each time I go somewhere. One way there and another way back. That’s not always possible but I’m discovering wonderful new places and have moments of pure joy as I drive along the waterfront or head to Mount Baker or discover new lakes in Skagit and Whatcom counties that I didn’t even know existed.

I figured out how to get satellite radio in my car and I listen to a little news, but so much of it is sad and depressing that I tune into ‘60s on 6 or The Bridge and sing along with the music I grew up with and occasionally come up with a new karaoke song.

I’ve always been charitable because I grew up economically challenged since the holocaust kept my parents from getting an education. I got a wonderful education and found an occupation I loved that allowed me to live in beautiful places like La Conner. And I’ve doubled and tripled down on contributing to local people who are now jobless and homeless.

We are blessed to live in a place where we can keep away from crowded interiors and go boating and fishing and camping, exploring new horizons and for many of you, continue to work from home.

We just need to do everything we can to keep ourselves healthy, help out those in need, and appreciate the gift of life and the beautiful place we live in.

Okay, you’ll have to excuse me now as I place a classic LP on my turntable and plop myself down in my massage chair.

All together now – BREATHE!