I’m addicted to my hot tub, especially on wintry days. I’m thrilled that I live on the left edge of the continent with a great view of the islands and even a glimpse of the Olympic Peninsula.

Being an overactive person, these are particularly trying times for me. Often, as soon as I sit down, it occurs to me that there is something I forgot to do and I jump right up.

To keep this from happening in the hot tub, I invented a little game in which I locate a small particle floating in the water. I learned a long time ago, that if you try to grab it with a swift hand motion, it will float away, out of reach.

However, if you place your hand below it in the water and move your hand up at an extremely slow pace, you can capture the intruder and flick it away from the tub.

This little game became a life lesson for me. SLOW DOWN MEL. That’s right, take your time, appreciate the moment and your wonderful surroundings.

A perfect example of this is walking around downtown La Conner. First, I stop by and visit the mayor in his jewelry store and then I grab a croissant or two at my favorite bakery. And in these COVID-19 times, I’m not in a hurry to get back to work or jump in my car. Heading home, I take a different route, whether it’s over the bridge and along the riverfront looking back at our lovely town from the reservation or I head out the other way and drive by the beautiful fields that surround our town with wonderful views of glorious snow-covered Mt. Baker.

Yes, these are challenging times that will resonate in history books for future generations just as we grew up reading about the Great Depression and World Wars and the tremendous ripple affect these events had on present and future generations.

Being the son of holocaust survivors and getting to have a wonderful life, I love to accentuate the positive and I’m hoping and praying that we will learn important lessons from our most recent challenges.

I see that people are moving out of cities and spending more quality time with family. Others are Zooming across the country to connect with people they admire and care about to share feelings and discuss common interests in great detail.

Many of us have lost loved ones to COVID-19 and I do not want to downplay what a tragedy that has been for so many of us.

Yet we have been given time and space to reflect on whether or not we are living the life we should be living and realizing that time is precious and that it is time to take those lists out of the bucket and start checking off the items.

I just wrote my first play. It is going to debut in Santa Rosa, California and I am staying in touch with family even though we are spread out all over the country and I am going to teach a film class in New York City next September, COVID-19 willing.

I’d like to leave you all with this thought: have a happy, healthy New Year. Now off to the hot tub I go.