The Dawn of a New Year and Decade

     I am sitting in my daughter’s house in greater Los Angeles watching the sun rise on a new year and a new decade. It is my favorite time to write; in the early morning in a house full of family and where I am the only one up and about. I am not sure why this is my favorite time other than I do enjoy this short solitude before the pitter patter of my grandsons running to engage me in more amazing, heartwarming, and memorable activities from puzzles to breakfast and playing outside to having me build things they can knock down. .
     En route on the plane here I read articles in the New York Times from Sunday December 29th. They were in the Lifestyle Section and the New York Times magazine. The articles were retrospectives on the past year and the past decade. I had the time and really wanted to delve into highlights of a decade that seemingly went by too fast.
     In two words, I was disappointed and bored. The articles were very well written but boring. They were boring to me, at least. They focused a lot on folks who passed, as such annual retrospectives do. I was amazed, and maybe a bit embarrassed, that I did not recognize many of the names they highlighted. Were they great statemen or industrial leaders? Not as much as would have been in my youth.  The focus was more on celebrities. Sadly, the articles that resonated most with me were two articles on the that focused on our growing polarization in our country are what resonated most with me. Hopefully, this decade gets us closer where we can improve our collective lot and truly make America and the world better places. Me? I would most definitely start with allocating more funds to education and infrastructure.
     There were two photos from these biographical sketches in the New York Times Magazine that I just loved. One was of the famed designer Karl Lagerfeld.

Annie Leibovitz for Vogue
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It showed him at work on the largest and most cluttered desk I have ever seen. I loved it because it made me feel like that it was OK if my desks and offices were often in the same shape as the great designer’s. The second photo was of Doris Day doing a handstand on a diving board. It depicted her beauty, grace, and incredible athletic ability all at the same time. She had an amazing Hollywood career though she was unlucky in love but finally managed to achieve contentment through her dedication to animal welfare after her film career and troubling love life.  She showed that celebrity does not guarantee happiness and, also, that we can reinvent ourselves at any age.
     The boredom of the rest of the 2019 and decade reviews simply confirmed what I have known for a long time. While it is important to note the great events of the past year and decade and the notables who passed away in the same timeframe, it is really the notable events and people in our own lives that make the most impact and

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have a firmer place in our hearts and memories. I first wrote about this in May 2005: Memorable School, Memorable Teachers. At the beginning of this piece, I presented a quiz a friend of mine forwarded to me in an email. It is a short but impactful quiz that is worth taking every New Year when many of us take stock of the past year. It really highlights the perspective I have been focusing on. (The quiz is presented at the end of this piece.)
     So, I closed my eyes and reflected on the decade from a personal perspective. It was the decade in which my five grandchildren were born. What a joy and blessing they are. It was also the decade where my father in-law, father, uncle, and two aunts passed away. It was the decade in which two dear friends passed on. We celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary.  It was the decade in which I fulfilled a life-long dream to be a full-time college professor and celebrate my five-year anniversary of doing such. It was the decade in which I began playing in the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble at the University of Chicago. It was the decade where I almost stopped blogging and came back strong.
     As eloquently stated in Job 1:21: The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. No matter what else is going on in the nation or in our work lives, it is this cycle of life, births, deaths, what we do in our own lives, and the impacts that we have on each other in that underscores and defines… well, everything.
      I started to write this piece on New Year’s Day and am finishing it on January 4th. It took quite a while to capture this simple message of several

hundred words. I was not focused on writing but rather on enjoying this precious time with grandsons Vaughn and Sasoun. On New Years Day, they dutifully wore Michigan garb as I was. We attempted to watch the Citrus Bowl in which Michigan was u against Alabama. Michigan lost. I barely watched the game and cannot relate the final score as I barely watched what, for at least three quarters, seemed like a pretty good game. I was having too much fun playing with the boys. Seems like a great way start to a new year and decade to me. 

      Wishing everyone a most healthy, happy, and prosperous 2020.

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Here is the quiz:

Take this quiz: (mentally)

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name a half dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier? The lesson? The people who make a difference in
your life are not the ones with the most credentials, money or
awards. They are the ones that care.