Archives for March 2020

I was in Miami, waiting for a plane to land on a sunny day outside a four-bay mechanic’s garage until a gang of modern pirate-like militia came in shooting long guns and wielding machetes. I woke up, thought
#classicpandemicnightmare, and then went downstairs to scroll Twitter. Sad (the Twitter part), but terrifyingly real.

And 2020’s version of March Madness is equal parts all of that. Sad. Terrifying. Real. Not nearly enough sugar to coat this state of affairs.

But there have been some great family moments, too. Two brothers making a light bulb-like discovery that they can actually enjoy one another’s company for many, many minutes.

Also, this happened: Dad and the boys settled in after dinner to watch “The Day After Tomorrow”. After ten minutes of being introduced to Mayanism and the film’s plot of the earth’s core melting leading to tectonic plate shifting (I know, Best Pandemic Parent of The Year Award goes to…), the nine-year-old, asked “Wait, is this The Day After Tomorrow?” GenX me, who had searched and found the movie on Netflix assured him, “Yes”. Well, here’s a hint for you all – when you search for “The Day After Tomorrow” don’t press play on the movie “2012” which comes up as “Titles Related to The Day After Tomorrow”. After the three of us became aware of this (err, as the credits rolled) I got to revel in the nine-year-old explode in a milk-through-the-nose, whole body two-minute giggle. “DAD, WE WATCHED THE WRONG MOVIE!!”

So what to do? Two thoughts for you. First, in Tom Friedman’s “Thank You For Being Late” (yes, I’m quite sure I’m referring to the correct book, thank you very much), he says we are in a new age of unprecedented accelerations (technology, globalization, and climate).

In this age, Friedman asserts, you may want (crave?!) to stand still or even go back to a simpler, less rapidly changing time. There was a time when static stability (think of the four-legged stability of a table) could be had. It’s just not possible to keep up with the technological and societal change in that mode. The only stability available to us now is dynamic stability – the stability that comes from moving forward like when you are riding a bike.

How does this relate to the stress of the moment? I feel the least bad when I am not standing still (scrolling Twitter, refreshing nyt.com every five minutes, worrying about the kids, the future, my 201k). I feel best when I am DOING SOMETHING (working productively, walking, writing, trying to keep up with Emma Lovewell). In other words, if you want stability, KEEP PEDALING! Keep moving forward, regardless.

The second thought is, and this is a 4:30 am thought – I think the only way I can get through this is just to decide to be OVERWHELMINGLY EFFING OPTIMISTIC. Not head in the sand…just OFO. Because, what’s the downside of that and what good does it to be in any other mode?

An early HBD to the spectacular KSC 🙂 and an ocean of gratitude and admiration for so many on the front lines. OFO, Dan

I know I said I was breaking up with January, but you know, March and everything… I started to think of all the good times and laughs January and I had and I went crawling back, but she had already moved on.

So what to do. Social distancing will give me some time to work out my own issues before trying to date another calendar month. If I’m honest, I do still find myself dreaming of a gorgeous, blue-skied and sunny July. The heart wants what it wants.

<Transition to the point of post here> I saw the author Tony Schwartz on YouTube TV last night #stayathomeeconomy and this is what he said, “This is a rare opportunity to recognize how much we all take for granted — and what really matters in our lives.”

It’s a Fraulein Maria moment in history. The dog is biting, the bee is stinging. It’s a healthy move to focus on our favorite things, and the gratitude we feel for them.

Here are some of mine, what are yours?

The sail out

K, H & O

Connection

Sibs, Sibs-in law, Family

Friends

Starting lines

Humor

The Kingston Mines (60614)

The “Honey I’m Home” Margarita with Clooney’s Tequila

Johnny Carson

Bobby Orr

Tom Petty

Key Lime Pie

John Irving

Seth Godin

Chapel Hill

BYC

Election Victory (1990 – 75 of 77 counties)

Tortilla Coast (400 First St. SE)

Sun on your face

Coca Cola

Philip Roth

Rockwood Music Hall (10002)

King Estate Pinot Noir

Coldplay

Lawrence O’Donnell

CHARLIE

Tar Heels

The Way We Were

Chicago guitar blues

Meaningful work with and for people that care

Leo’s BBQ (North Kelley, OKC)

Roger Smith Hotel

Being heard

Really listening

North Sound Virgin Gorda

SKEDADDLE

Charlize Theron

Anchored in skinny water southeast corner of Hadley Harbor

La Esquina (114 Kenmare St)

Tim Ferris Show

Walks (laughs) with Betty

JFK (the Prez, not the movie)

Just the right buzz

Boys playing on a Longboat Key beach

Sarah Harmer

Herman Wouk

Jaws

Lake Vineyard (Lagoon Pond)

The (oh so occasional) good ski turn

H&O smiles, hugs and kisses

Tom Brady

Paul Simon

Jerry Maguire

Alvin Toffler (AKA Nostrafreakingdamus)

Titos

Elizabeth Banks

Run DMC

February 3, 2002 (Vinatieri practically kicked it right to me!)

February 8, 2002 (First date)

Ian Bremmer

Swimming in water where I can see my toes

American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center

At sea, going fast under the stars with the right gear and the right watchmate

Having written

The Tarheels

Gary’s (Cannon Mountain)

Kindness

Ed’s (gap) toothy grin

Bermuda Race finish

David Letterman

Mark Knopfler

Boat dates

Neuroscience

Liz Phair

Political economy

Cheeseburger on the deck of the Coral Beach Club

Clarinet Concerto in A Major 

Don’t quiz me ok? but most Mozart

Thinkers with something original to say

B.B. King

Meals at sea

Buddy Guy

Net-Givers

Naughty by Nature

Spirit-forward cocktails

Graciousness

James Taylor

Having run (now having ridden with Emma Lovewell)

Tom Petty

Toasted Blueberry Pop-Tarts with (a lot) of butter

Michael Lewis

Clock Room British Museum (Thanks Myron)

New add – Katie Porter!

New add – Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love and The Rising

Scallops (breadcrumbs and butter nothin fancy)

The whole Cooney 4 on a ski lift with not a ski glove missing

Winning a sailboat race

AMERICAN PRAYER

Netflix show Love is Blind (no, just joshing you)

A great sleep

Squash with Kate

Walks with Kate

News with Kate

Projects with Kate

Okay, okay…everything with Kate

The sail home

In this Coldplay video, we are introduced to the concept of Ubuntu. Watch the first 30 seconds.

The direct translation of Ubuntu is “humanity.” The first (beautifully wise) voice we hear in the video explains the concept further…

“To help others, your brothers, your sisters, even when they are strangers and you don’t know them, you are supposed to help them, that is Ubuntu.”

Even when they are strangers and you don’t know them, you are supposed to help them.

The world just changed. We saw it coming for a while but now it feels like we just hit third gear. Feels faster now.

We don’t know, and we don’t know what we don’t know, and we don’t know when we will know it. Google doesn’t know. Siri and Alexa…nope. In our know everything, buy anything (right this instant) world, there’s just no app for that.

If there was a pilot for the 8 billion of us on Blue Marble One, she might say, “Hi folks, this is your captain speaking. It’s going to get pretty bumpy here for awhile. We’ll do the best we can to steer around it but make sure you are buckled up, give your seatmate an elbow bump for good luck and we’ll get through it together.

Two paths diverged in the woods. Down one path will bring out the worst in us.

Down another is our chance to help our brothers and sisters, even if we don’t know them. That is Ubuntu.