Thursday night I made the chopped liver (with chicken schmaltz of, course…amazing how easy it was to get chicken fat on the Upper Westside; yay! but I digress.) Yesterday I made the brisket and the carrot tzimmes. Ann picked up gefilte fish at Zabars and tonight we are having our first Passover Seder in our new home. Amen.

For me, Passover is filled with memories of my large extended family descending upon my grandparents, Harry and Bertha Sinkin, and hearing The Story of Passover. And of course, overeating in what was a very hot apartment. (Perhaps all that salt and fat had an effect on my personal thermostat, but I’m telling you it was HOT!…. Sorry, I digressed again.)

Passover is the story of the Exodus. It is the story of how the Jewish people were freed from bondage and led out of Egypt by Moses and God. Whether you are religious or not, the retelling of The Story is an expression of gratitude for all that we have versus what could have been. And it is a story shared with loved ones, family, friends, even total strangers.

I am grateful. Ann and I are finally settled in NYC in OUR HOME! Our daughter Ashley is a newly licensed Occupational Therapist working in New York and loving it! Our baby, Jonathan, is graduating from college and on his way to graduate school (perhaps Cornell? Just got off the phone with him….HE GOT INTO CORNELL!!!!!!!!!!!)

Our first Seder in NYC.  Not bad.  No not bad at all.

ZISSEN PESACH

HAPPY EASTER

So it was the first Monday of the New Year and one of my most beloved patients, having just learned that my office was closed for the holiday, called me on my cell phone to report a dental mishap. As odd as this may sound, I was thrilled to hear from her and to be speaking  with her. (And no, I’m not some sadistic dentist of the Little Shop of Horrors variety reveling at someone’s dental emergency) as  she was very quick to point out that she was not in distress and could wait until tomorrow to see me. Having known each other since 1984, she knows I would have opened the office to see her if need be.

Bernice called me to make sure I would be in the office this week to see her before she jetted off to Israel to attend a Hadassah conference. I was excited to speak to Bernice because she is a most dynamic, compassionate inspirational individual. To be speaking with her at the onset of the New Year was, well it was… inspirational.

You see, Bernice is 98+ years young with the optimism and “can do” spirit that inspires me to embrace 2012 with vigor and optimism. But there is more to this than being “pumped up” for the adventure of a new year; it’s being reminded that to be fully engaged in life is not to look at the calendar and push the restart button with the arrival of January 1^st.  Rather, it’s to take each day as the gift it is (whether it’s Monday January 2^nd or Thursday October 12^th) and to make it count.

As the saying goes, Carpe Diem – Seize the Day…everyday! And before you know it, 35,770 days will pass by (that’s 98 years) and you will still look forward to tomorrow. That’s what I call living a fulfilling life and that’s the lesson Bernice has taught me by example.

While I have already wished you all a Happy New Year, maybe what I really wish for you is fulfillment of a life fully lived.

Michael

Boxes, boxes everywhere. The movers just left and I’m sitting in our NYC living room for the first time (amen)! Our 15-month period of displacement is drawing to a close with the delivery of our worldly possessions not seen since they were put into storage in September 2010. I’m not going to rehash the exasperating details of our odyssey from Ardsley to the Upper West Side via a 51-week layover in Yonkers, but in the words of the Grateful Dead, “what long strange trip it’s been.”

So here I am on December 30th staring at all of these boxes filled with stuff that we accumulated over the decades and realize that if I never saw half of it again, I wouldn’t miss it. I honestly don’t remember everything that we decided to pack up and deemed important enough to pay $400/month to keep in storage. But as I delved into the first cartons, I was struck with a certain curiosity as to what our mind-set was when we were deciding what was worth keeping. Interestingly, the first three things I randomly unpacked were a beer stein, our wedding picture, and a book about dental esthetics (all very important). Then came the plastic potted plants, LEGO’s, old college text books, decorative ornaments of all types including an assortment of soap dishes, countless chargers that don’t match our current phones….I mean what were we thinking?

So I stepped back from the columns of corrugated containers and began to ponder (metaphorically) about the baggage we all carry. Much if not most of it is volitional; that is, we have what we have because we have worked hard to get it. But some of this baggage that we schlep around is not wanted at all-we’re just too busy to notice. The baggage I am referring to is stress and the burden of carrying this extra load does take its toll both physically and mentally. These past few years have been extremely difficult for many of us. Some are working harder than ever just to keep their heads above water. Being bogged down and pulled under by the “extra weight” of stress only makes for tougher going. While as individuals we can’t change the reality of a poor economy, we can unburden ourselves by taking better care of ourselves. Being more health conscious when eating, exercising more, perhaps joining a yoga class or taking a time out for a walk are just a few suggestions to help reduce stress.

I know that aside from a lot of useless stuff that I have boxed up and carried to New York at no small expense, I have put on 25 unwanted pounds (talk about extra baggage) over the past 15 months because of stress. Comfort food can be so soothing after battling with contractors. But when it’s all said and done, I’m the one stuck holding the bag (actually it’s more of a roll and a belly.)

So, as we are about to embark on a new year, I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012. And if I may be so bold, take a moment to take stock of your stuff, perhaps there is some baggage you can shed to lighten your load.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Unless your name is Ebenezer, I am sure you anticipate the fun and joy of the holidays to be shared with friends and family. My office is no different. We deck the halls and immerse the office with holiday cheer. Delicious delectables abound and everyone is encouraged to enjoy the Christmas confections that so many of our wonderful patients have prepared: chocolate, cookies, truffles, caramel, etc…(what you never heard of internal marketing?).

As we do every year, we celebrate the holidays (Chanukah, Christmas, and Kwanza with an office outing. This year we decided to be a bit more adventurous….to push the envelope…to dare to live a little bit on the edge. No, we didn’t go bungee jumping or sky- diving. We threw caution to the wind and saw, Spiderman.

Now the day we had our outing planned, the New York Times trashed the show and announced that refunds were being given. The day after our pilgrimage to the Foxwoods Theatre, one of the actors portraying Spidey took a serious 20 ft fall into the orchestra pit. Previous showings had mishaps where your friendly neighborhood Spiderman actually fell from the rafters into unsuspecting laps. (Now that’s bringing the audience into the show).

We decided to brave the weather and Julie Taymor’s acrobatics and go on with the show. Not before we had the chance to drown our fears with abundant food and DRINK at Sardi’s!

We had a great time!

The theatre was packed. The first act was exciting with Spiderman and the Green Goblin flying overhead. (Should the need arise, I was ready to catch any falling superhero to protect my dedicated staff). We were all wowed by the modern marvels of Broadway magic. The second act didn’t deliver and will be the focus of the writers before the show finally opens. But all in all, we had a wonderful night.

I’ll be curious to see the show again, once they get their act together (couldn’t resist the line.)

Hope your holiday season was as full of warmth and fun as mine was!