THE NEIGHBOR WHO WON’T WEAR A MASK
She lives one street over from me. Years ago, we walked our dogs together for a brief time, until I realized how self-consumed she is. There were also some racist comments from her that I found offensive. I have spent
THAT EMPATHY THING
One of the dominant themes of the Democratic Convention has been Joe Biden’s natural empathy. It flows from his faith, his humanity, the grief he has suffered in his life, and it’s been evident throughout his political career. A big
THE GREAT UNMASKING
There is an undeniable fact about tragedies and trying times – they reveal people. They strip away niceties, facades, pretentions, and show with stunning clarity who people really are underneath. Sometimes we see courage, resilience, selflessness that had previously
HATRED IS A VIRUS TOO
Yesterday, someone shot a pellet gun through the window of my friend’s business. The bullet hole was next to a sign that identified the business as black-owned, a sign he put up when everything around was being looted and destroyed
A COUNTRY WITHOUT LEADERSHIP
Beneath the sounds of chanting and yelling, of breaking glass and stores being looted, is the sound of grief. America watched George Floyd being murdered by a police officer who had his hands in his pockets like he was at
CITIES IN RUIN
Much of the city I live in was decimated last night. I live in Santa Monica. Businesses I’ve frequented, the Optometrist I went to for many years – all broken into, smashed to bits, looted. A small restaurant several doors
LOOKING FOR AMERICA
Recently, a friend and I were talking about a very destructive, mean-spirited person and my friend asked if I had any thoughts about what made them that way. I replied that I didn’t care what might have gone awry in
ABOUT TIME
One of the unifying aspects of this pandemic is that we are all experiencing time differently. It has become elastic, slow and drawn out, long days bending into late evenings. It can also snap off and leave us devastated,
REFLECTIONS ON OUR ISOLATED STATE
I went for a long run on the beach this morning. The only sign that other people had been there were footprints in the sand, but at that early hour it was just me and the seagulls, and a woman
AN OPEN LETTER TO JOE BIDEN
Dear Vice-President Biden, I’m sure you have many advisors around you, calculating the best way for you to win the presidency. While I have no qualifications in this area, I did watch my father become Governor of California when