David Andrew Jaffe's Blog, page 16

You are a Badass (a 2021 Review)

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I just finished reading You Are a Badass, by Jen Sincero, an attempt to take all the wisdom of decades of self-help literature and not only boil them down into one concise source, but an attempt to do so in a language that would be easily accessible to most of us. And I enjoyed it a lot.

I mean, You are a Badass was OK. Certainly not the life-changing experience I might hope it would be, but definitely worth a read.

Forvive or Fester

One chapter from You are a Badass stood out to me as an obvious favorite, so today I’d just like to talk a bit about Chapter 15: Forgive or Fester.

I want to focus on three quotes from the chapter that really drive the point home and talk about each concept a bit:

You are a Badass: The Road to Freedom[image error]

“Holding on will not change this fact, it will just keep the negative feelings from the past alive, keep you a prisoner to your pain… The moment you decide to forgive and let your negative feelings melt away, you are on the road to freedom.”

I often think about the concept of slavery. How many things in the world can we become slaves to? Sugar? Money? Sex? Our jobs?

We want to walk around on a day-to-day basis unburdened by anything that’s not our primary focus. How can we live when our mind is preoccupied with things we absolutely don’t want to be thinking about?

But we do it all the time. Because we’re downright slaves to those thoughts. We couldn’t get rid of them if our lives depended on it.

Prisoner of Pain

And holding onto a grudge is just about the worst example of this. If some girl dumped me in high school making me feel like I was the biggest loser on the planet, twenty or thirty years later she might not even remember my name, let alone what actually happened between us. I’m letting her live rent-free in my brain so long as I can’t purge myself of the pain she caused.

But forgiveness is redemption. If you cannot create closure in reality, you can at least create closure emotionally. The moment you forgive, you begin the process of forgetting. Of moving forward with your life. Otherwise their memory is like two powerful hands grabbing your shoulders, preventing you from moving forward. Preventing you from progressing in life and becoming the person you want to be.

Of course you could still progress forward in life despite a grudge here and there. But each one is just the tiniest little thorn in your soul, causing you pain and placing a minuscule barrier preventing you from reaching your potential. Why let anyone in the world do that to you?

You are a Badass: Taking the Poison

“Holding on to resentment is like taking poison and waiting for your enemies to die.”

I can picture myself sitting in my living room, pissed at someone who wronged me. In my confused little noggin, I’m imagining my anger actually having some impact. Like my mean thoughts will somehow seep into their skin and cause them harm. Meanwhile, it’s doing nothing of the sort.

What is the anger doing? It’s making me feel like crap. It’s harming me.

I remember years ago during a holiday in Israel, kids on the street I was walking on were spraying all passersby with silly string. I didn’t really want that crap on me, so a friend of mine and I did an experiment. What if we walk down the street with a facial expression that says, “Spray me and I will literally rip your eyes from your face.”

Well, the good news was it was effective. No one bothered us at all. The bad news: I became legitimately angry. And it felt awful. When you get angry, you can feel it in every inch of your body. It’s like walking around with some dust cloud of negativity. And that anger cloud impacts your mood. You feel ill, and it pushes everyone in your life away from you.

But who feels nothing?

Your boss. Your high school bully. Your ex-girlfriend. They’re all sitting in Tahiti, sipping on Mai Tais on the beach, completely unaware that you exist, let alone that you are directing negative thoughts toward them. All while you’re sitting on your own couch, feeling the pain and frustration of unanswered anger.

Anger and resentment hurt no one but yourself.

You are a Badass: Being Nice to Yourself

“Forgiving isn’t about being nice to them, it’s about being nice to yourself.”

And that really is the conclusion of all of this.

Who doesn’t want peace of mind? Who doesn’t want to go to sleep at night with their mind fresh and clear? Without a care in the world.

When you forgive others, you are giving yourself the perfect gift. You are allowing yourself to be free from the burden of negativity. Free from the burden of oppressive feelings weighing you down, crowding your mind and not letting you rest comfortably.

It really is a fresh and intelligent way to look at the concept of forgiveness. It’s much easier to look at forgiveness as doing something great for the other person. But in actuality, it is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself!

This is something I’ve certainly felt before.

My Annual Tradition

I have an annual tradition. When someone borrows something from me, I can’t help but think of it all the time. I remember it all. And sometimes it weighs me down, especially when someone routinely forgets to return what’s mine, or clearly puts it out of their mind entirely. Obviously if they’ve forgotten, or if they, for example, can’t return money to me and are embarrassed to explain, then my holding a grudge will have no impact on them, positive or negative. But that grudge will consume me.

So what do I do? Every year I forgive and forget. I put the debt behind me forever. And it is one of the most invigorating feelings I know.

And yes, it might sound a little selfish. You forgive them because you gain something. But sometimes you have to be a little selfish. Sometimes you have to put yourself first to get ahead in life. But ultimately it’s a win-win. They get forgiveness, you get peace of mind. The world is officially a better place!

Forgive someone today, since it will make tomorrow that much brighter.

You are a Badass (a 2021 Review)
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Joe Rogan: The Conversation that Needed to Happen

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A few facts about me:

a. I’m a big Joe Rogan fan. And my feelings about CNN are neutral, at best.

b. I like podcasts; however, my patience is limited and I prefer listening in 5-15 minute bursts.

c. I loathe intellectual dishonesty and the inability in our modern era of having a nuanced and civil discussion.

Joe Rogan vs Dr. Sanjay Gupta

When I started seeing clips on YouTube of Joe Rogan’s podcast with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical advisor, I was intrigued.

For the uninitiated, Joe Rogan is by no means against the Covid vaccine. But he retains an extremely healthy skepticism, and questions everything from vaccine mandates to vaccinating children, who have an extremely low risk of developing a serious case of Covid.

And then Joe Rogan got Covid himself.

And the vultures came out from the woodworks, dredging up every soundbite they could find, attempting to belittle his attitude, beliefs, and skeptical ways.

And then he got better in five days, without a scratch. He’s alive and well, ready to discuss the dangers of how media outlets, like CNN, addressed the situation. And it’s not pretty.

Joe Rogan vs The Media

One of the medications Rogan took is called Ivermectin. This is a drug used across the world to treat a myriad of illnesses, and it is so effective and impressive, its creator was awarded a Nobel Prize. It’s also a drug used for deworming horses. And the media, like CNN, chose to criticize Joe Rogan for risking his health and the health of anyone who might be listening, by subjecting himself to medicine designed exclusively for horses.

The mainstream media had a goal here: Full and complete capitulation. They wanted Joe Rogan to get seriously ill, and then fall to their feet explaining that the virus is the most horrible thing the world has ever known. And they wanted him to exclaim, repeatedly and emphatically, that there is no way out of this crisis other than every human being alive running out and getting the vaccine right now. In fact, not only should you get the vaccine, but you should get a new one every two months, wear a mask even in the privacy of your own home, quit your job, and never interact with another human being again. The Corona Oracle has spoken!

But they messed with the wrong person.

Rogan was back training like a monster in a matter of days, and was able to tell his CNN tale to his audience, his audience that is more than twice as large as that of CNN. And he didn’t offer a groveling apology, so reminiscent of countless people in our generation. No, he told the facts. And he did not give CNN any wiggle room to pretend like they told the news in any fashion that was accurate or appropriate.

And he made them look like fools. They deserved it.

They still do.

But the conversation was not over…

What happened next was both a miracle of our generation and very indicative of it as well.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, reached out to Joe Rogan and they arranged to do a podcast together. What followed next was a perfect example of what always happens nowadays.

I found out about the interview after seeing countless YouTube videos with titles like “Joe Rogan obliterates CNN chief medical correspondent” or “Rogan humiliates CNN and proves they are liars”. But digging a little deeper, I was able to find some more clips speaking about how awful Joe Rogan looked in the face of the brilliant Sanjay Gupta. I watched as members of The View mocked Rogan and said they had no interest in hearing the naive opinions of “crazy people”.

So I decided to do something that goes against my nature, because it had to be done. I didn’t want other people using five-minute clips to tell me what the two spoke about. I went ahead and listened to the entire three-hour (!) interview. And what I listened to was a miracle of this day and age. No one was obliterated or humiliated. No one was mocked. No one oozed naivete or insanity. No, I listened to two wise, grown adults have a civil and intelligent discussion. I listened to two new friends share some whiskey together and bond over a riveting and extraordinarily important topic.

And I was once again reminded that we live in a post-conversation era.

The Vital Conversation

This conversation was vital. They debated about whether children should get vaccinated, who should get booster shots, the legitimacy of vaccine concerns, other factors that affect immunity, alternatives to vaccination, and so many more extremely important topics.

But most of those sound bites are not circulating around the internet. It’s not newsworthy to say two grown men engaged in polite dialogue, no matter how great the conversation went. No matter how much can be gained from listening to every word.

No, in the eyes of the media and the world at large, Joe Rogan and Dr. Sanjay Gupta were locked in a cage and were battling it out. There could be no common ground. One would emerge clearly victorious, and the other would be devastated, and shamed out of public life for good. Their career would be terminated and we’d never hear from them again.

Embrace the Different

It breaks my heart.

It pains me that we’re incapable in this generation of talking to each other like human beings. We can’t disagree and still like one another. We can’t argue without derisive mocking. And we’re certainly not capable of backing down and admitting that maybe we’re mistaken or at least have more to learn about a topic.

This conversation needed to happen.

And thousands more just like it need to happen as well, or we’re going to lose our humanity. We’re going to cease to be the great and mighty species we’re supposed to be.

We need to be able to look at each other and see similarities instead of differences. Or see differences, but love and appreciate them. And we need to learn that opinions could and should have nuance. In between one viewpoint and another is a world of subtle differences, and they should all be explored. Or at least respected.

Anything less, and it doesn’t matter if we’re all lost in a pandemic. We were already lost well beforehand.

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5 Things I Learned About Israel: Doctor Edition

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I still haven’t figured out Israel. I’m not confident I ever will, but I feel like every few months I make a teeny bit of progress.

A while back I wrote about a few of the small things I’ve figured out about living here, and I think it’s time for an update.

I’ve spent the last year going to every doctor under the sun, and having more medical procedures in one year than the rest of my life combined. I had surgery on my nose, an EKG, a colonoscopy, an ultrasound, an MRI, I did a sleep study, a million blood tests, and a few others I’ve either forgotten or I’m too embarrassed to mention publicly.

Much of what I did came with great success, like my breathing. Others, not so successful. But one thing’s for absolute sure. I’m learning a lot about how to navigate this crazy system. It’s not easy. Not at all. And I’ve got plenty left to learn, for sure. But I picked up some gems along the way, and I thought I’d share five with you today.

1. The Recommended Doctor

Never, ever go to a doctor in Israel without a recommendation. Doing so is a ticket to spending time in an office with someone who doesn’t want you there and has about a zero percent chance of helping you with whatever brought you there that day.

It’s tempting. You go into your insurance provider’s app, look up a doctor, and see twenty listed. Perfect! You can fine-tune the experience to fit your schedule. Next Wednesday at 6PM is the absolute perfect day and time to visit their office, and it’s a five-minute walk from your apartment? Great!

Except it won’t be. More likely than not, you will be in their office for four minutes. They will insult you. They, if you’re lucky, will send you out of their office with a referral to another doctor. And maybe, if you really crack the code, they’ll tell you to take an over-the-counter pain killer. But they will not consider your issues carefully. They will not have a decent bedside manner. And you are likely to either give up, or seek a different doctor anyway.

Look far and wide for a doctor many have had positive experiences with. It is truly the biggest game-changer of the Israeli medical experience.

2. The Patient Doctor

Sometimes you find the right doctor, but you can’t book an appointment for a long time to come. So… you go back to Plan A and look for someone with a wide-open schedule.

But that’s when you learn the hard way that there’s a reason for their wide-open schedule. If a doctor is really good, lots of people will want to see them. And there is likely to be a wait. And it is absolutely worth it!

Unless your situation is a dire emergency, always opt to wait for the better doctor. You’ll be happy you did. And you’ll be quite unhappy if you don’t. The best things come to those who wait!

Bonus tip: More often than not, you can get an earlier appointment… if you persistently call to see if there were any cancellations. You’d be shocked how effective this is.

3. The Distant Doctor

Recently I was looking for a specific doctor and I was told there were literally only two in the whole city. This can be quite the problem. Not every specialist field is overloaded in every location. So you might be tempted to go to the “OK” one or the “lesser of two evils”.

This is not recommended.

Travel can be an absolute nightmare in Israel, especially if you don’t have a car. Nevertheless, it’s like waiting. If that’s what you need to do to get a doctor who will actually pay attention to you and legitimately solve your problems, do what you need to do. Grab a book, find a good podcast, and prepare to lose a solid chunk of your day. Because sometimes traversing outside of your city is exactly what you need to do to get the care you need and deserve.

I traveled only 20 minutes to get a doctor who told me I was fat and my wife was stupid. I got what I traveled for. But I schlepped all over the country to get the right care and surgery I needed. And now I get to continuously reap the benefits.

4. The Ditched Doctor

If you don’t click with your doctor, you should go ahead and find another one. It might seem obvious to some, but it’s certainly not to everyone. Especially if you researched, waited, and traveled to go to a doctor who you for certain would like, how can you be expected to just go ahead and start that process over again?

You do it because you’re that important. And if you don’t have the right practitioner for your needs, you won’t get the care you require. And again, you will remain unhealthy and frustrated.

Just because there are others out there who like and trust your doctor, does not mean you have to. If it’s not working out for you, move along and search for someone who is the correct fit.

5. The Non-American Doctor

Which leads perfectly into my final point. I recently had a doctor who came highly recommended, and I would later find out the main reason people recommended him was because he was American. English speakers liked going to him because his English was good.

Now listen: My Hebrew is fine. I can get my point across if need be. And I’ve been blessed with an amazing spouse who grew up here and can translate when needed. Nevertheless, I like to conduct all of my medical experiences in English. When it comes to my health, I’m not willing to risk misunderstanding or being misunderstood.

But being an English speaker does not automatically make you a good doctor. And being a non-native English speaker also does not necessarily mean your English isn’t very good.

5 Things I Learned About Israel: Doctor Edition
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When I realized my doctor was not the right fit, I switched to an Israeli doctor who was not only better for me in every way, but he was American trained and perfectly fluent in English. He flies under the radar for the English-speaking among us, but finding him is a game-changer for my medical experience here in the Holy Land.

So my final thing I learned in this adventure is to keep your mind wide open. The extremely competent, intelligent, and caring doctor that best fits your personality and needs might have a two-month wait. You might need to drive two hours to get there. And (gasp) the doctor might be Israeli!

Whatever it takes to get better!

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Have I changed my stance on doctors and the medical world? Not at all. I’d still rather Google until my face turns blue and try and solve life’s problems with diet, exercise, essential oils, and apple cider vinegar. But at least I know that when I need a bonafide doctor, decent care is actually available. And I’m getting a hell of a lot closer to figuring out how to make sure I get it!

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I May Have Finally Found the Hill I’d Die Upon

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I’ve often pondered a bit of a fault or complication of this generation.

History is always weird. It’s so easy to look back and say who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. It’s easy to imagine being passionate about causes of the past and say you too would have risked your life like our ancestors did, because what they were fighting for was completely worth it. Their cause was a pleasure to be passionate about. Then it was easy to find the hill we’d die upon.

Of course, we also assume that if we were alive or adults during the civil rights movement, we would have marched along with our black brothers and sisters. We would have stood up for truth and justice, even if it might have meant serious risk to our own freedoms and well-being. We would have been absolutely certain we were standing on the right side of history, and therefore the risk of martyrdom was 100% worth it.

The Hill of This Generation?

But what about this generation? I’ve thought for years I knew exactly what I believed or was passionate about, only to have everything thoroughly shaken up. Only to discover that either I was wrong or that I wasn’t as right as I thought I was. Other issues are too unclear from the get-go. One moment I’m standing on one side of the aisle, the next I’m wavering and leaping to the other side. And even still, there are other issues in which I’ve made up my mind… but I’m dispassionate. I’m not going to a protest let alone risk my life. I just don’t really care that much.

Living without this intense passion for a cause is painful. It means looking out the window and seeing loads of grey. Heaping piles of boredom. It means Netflix becomes infinitely more appealing than activism. And it interferes with really feeling like you have a purpose in this world.

So I’m both horrified and ecstatic that I finally found the hill I’d die upon. I’m finally faced with a cause so important, I wake up unnerved about certain changes in the world. And I fall asleep worried that the direction we’re moving in is irreversible.

Vaccines vs Freedom

I certainly understand that these times are charged with concern, anger, fear, and so many emotions that are prone to make people act erratically, but the venom I’m seeing coming out of people’s mouths defies logic.

For the most part, here’s where I stand on vaccines: The science shows they’re pretty darn good, and that they have the potential to save lives and even pull us out of the funk we’ve been in for eighteen months.

But at what cost?

I want to live in a world with freedom of choice, speech, and expression. I want to live in a world where people discuss ideas openly and honestly, and actually listen to views different from their own. I want to live in a world in which information is shared freely, without fear that people’s words will be shut down because someone doesn’t like their message or a subtlety of their word choice.

That’s the world I want to live in.

And I’d rather the population of the world gets ravaged by a vicious disease than live in a world in which these basic freedoms have been completely trampled upon.

I'd rather the population of the world gets ravaged by a vicious disease than live in a world in which these basic freedoms have been completely trampled upon.
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Along for the Ride

And much to my great dismay, I fear we’re going in that direction, and most people are happy to go along for the ride.

There’s one acceptable narrative in the world right now: The vaccine is the only way out of this mess.

Therefore, anything–anything–presented to society that doesn’t 100% support the narrative is viciously and aggressively shut down. It’s mocked as being dangerous or anti-science.

And a greater irony has never been told.

Nothing is more scientific than making sure all relevant details are readily available for all eyes to see.

Scientific facts on the table that are hardly ever spoken about or are even mocked freely:

a. There do exist treatments for Covid that have been used very effectively and repeatedly

b. Many, many people have reported terrible side effects and complications due to the vaccine

c. The elephant in the room: One of the biggest contributing factors to the morbidity rate of Covid is obesity

Hanging Outside the Narrative

But these are barely talked about. Because they don’t fit the narrative. If it’s possible to treat Covid, fear is reduced alongside incentive to run out and get a vaccine. If we talk about side effects, we are shut down and told (at best) that the risks are not nearly as terrifying as death (ya know, because of that 2% death rate we need to fear so much). And God forbid we suggest someone lose weight! That, my dear friends, is fat shaming. And in the 21st century, we are required to live with the illusion that somehow sensitivity to the body shapes of people is more important than helping others to live longer, more fulfilling lives.

But withholding this information is not scientific. It’s abuse of power. It’s exercising authority to gain control over a situation, ignoring the fact that truth and freedom are far more important than making sure you are listened to.

So here we are. These are the same people who told us a matter of months ago not to wear masks but then fined us if we didn’t wear masks. It’s the same folk who told us we needed to stay home to protect the people around us, then threw parties and went to restaurants, publicly and openly, taking no precautions whatsoever. The same people who lauded Andrew Cuomo as a hero and now wash their hands of him as if they weren’t pushing him to run for president just a matter of months earlier.

But now we are supposed to believe everything they say about vaccines. Now we are supposed to ignore other details and accept like zombies whatever is told to us. And we’re supposed to mock and alienate anyone in our lives who doesn’t behave the same as us.

Government, Media, Big Pharma… Oh My!

Just a few months ago we had no trust for government or the media or big pharma. But now they are the messiah. Now we accept them as honest bodies only looking out for the greater good.

I’m sorry, but when they are all working together to shut down the ability of people to speak their minds or live their lives, they are the enemy. They are the enemy of freedom and the enemy of reason.

What you give up when you lie down and let those in charge take away people’s basic freedoms is a slippery slope none of us want to go down. The end is ugly and painful.

I stand by anyone who stands up for freedom of speech. I don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on. We should all be on the side of freedom. Once we lose that, we have nothing.

I’ve found my hill. The hill I’d die upon.

And I won’t back down.

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The Quest to End the Worry

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I confess.

I worry a lot.

I worry when I wake up in the morning, and I worry as I’m lying in bed to go to sleep at night.

My worries seem to be endless.

I worry about money. I certainly worry about health. I worry about the crazy state of the world right now, and about how everyone’s treating each other. And the list is honestly endless.

The Worry Diary

Knowing full well how complicated things are for me, I got very excited about an idea I stumbled upon recently.

I was reading an article about simple ways to deal with stress. For the uninitiated, stress releases a hormone in the body called cortisol. And that crap is absolute poison. You name the physical condition, and it’s either caused or exacerbated by cortisol. So I was seeking something–anything–that might be able to take the edge off life a little.

The article I was reading had 100 different ideas for how to reduce stress in life, ranging from essential oils to exercise to strolling around in nature. When I find a list like this, I usually browse it until something catches my eye. I then research the hell out of it, and from there I get to watch as my life slowly but surely gets better and better.

The first entry on the list that got me excited was called a ‘worry diary’.

I can’t really explain what a worry diary is, since there is no precise exclusive definition. It seems like many have tried to create a concept that best works for them, and that’s exactly what I did as well.

What’s Bugging Me?

The main foundation of a worry diary is writing down the things that are bugging you, but there is also some level of reframing that needs to take place. Meaning, you can’t just be organizing the things that worry you. What good could that possibly do besides just putting them down on paper? I suppose there can be some benefit of “speaking” them out loud, but this could just be akin to complaining or moaning about your life. Even if it’s mildly cathartic, little has changed. Not in reality, nor in your mind.

My final method of creating my worry diary was as follows: I put a date at the top of the page and I set a timer for three minutes, and I write everything that’s worrying me at the moment. It’s hardly a general master list. Rather it’s the things that are weighing on my mind right now. The things that I fear will make it so I have trouble falling asleep that night, and the things that could make me fall apart at any moment.

I write furiously, and when I began this endeavor, I had little problem filling the page from top to bottom in no time flat.

But then I set the timer for another three minutes, and that’s when I review what I’ve written. I try and come up with practical solutions. I list them out and try and act on them immediately.

That’s super helpful and useful, but not always practical. Many of the things that worry me aren’t going away very easily. And some might just be a part of my life forever.

Time to Rethink Things

So for those items, my goal isn’t solutions. My goal is to rethink things. My goal is to reframe the issue from a different perspective. I try to speak to myself like I’m looking at myself as a trusted outsider, there to guide me and motivate me to look at things through fresh new eyes.

Yes, my blood sugar levels are higher than they should be, and that of course is worrisome and needs real practical solutions. However, is it something that should leave me crawled up in a ball, incapable of handling my day? Is it something that should cause me to lose faith in my ability to improve myself and make great changes in my life?

I need a reminder that I used to weigh 40 pounds more than I do. I need a reminder that despite the high numbers, I’ve still managed to keep those numbers outside a terribly dangerous range, through sheer hard work and a strong will. I can’t just sit back and feel bad for myself when there are countless reasons to feel joy and pride!

And sometimes in the evening, when I’m sitting, jotting down these notes, something hits me. Something earth-shattering.

Earth-Shattering Epiphany

I had an epiphany the other night as I was furiously writing down my worries, one that might sound simplistic to some. But was life-changing for me.

I want to stress: It’s life-changing… not simple!

My life is infinitely worse because of all the myriad worries constantly weighing me down. And I’ve basically plodded on forward always assuming I need to eliminate the causes of the worries in order to finally reach a state of bliss. If I’m healthy and wealthy and work is great and the kids are great, then the worries will melt away.

But first, it’s unlikely to be true. Not only will there always be what to worry about, but even when there isn’t, the tender mind can always find something else to worry about.

The issue isn’t that I have things in my life that cause me to worry. The issue is the worrying itself!

If I can learn to not let the issues that constantly pop into my life torment me, if I can learn to take my hardships in stride, then it really doesn’t matter if there is excessive craziness swirling around me at all times. I’ll walk through it all like nothing.

How to Cope with Life

I don’t need to figure out all of life’s problems. That’ll never happen anyway. I need to learn to figure out a better way to cope with them. How do I get rid of my worries? I need to stop worrying. It really is that simple…

Even though it’s not at all simple.

If someone has ten dollars in their pocket but feels rich and on top of the world, they are better off than the person with 100 million in the bank who feels likes it’s not even close to enough and there is endless pressure to earn more.

The first guy is the rich one.

Being wealthy comes not with money, but rather without a concern for money.

I want my worries gone.

Like nothing I’ve ever wanted!

The Quest to End the Worry
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Rich Dad Poor Dad: A 2021 Review

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I just finished reading Robert Kiyosaki’s classic book Rich Dad Poor Dad, and I can’t stop talking about it.

But how did I get here?

A few weeks ago I felt the pain of missing the fantastic feel of a good book in my hand. I don’t know what happened to me along the way. I used to be able to sit for hours and enjoy the beauty and profundity of fiction. I even had a dream at one point of being a literature professor.

And somewhere along the way, it just fell to the side. Books turned to movies, and when my patience lessened even further, movies turned to TV shows. And most of the reading I did was non-fiction, and very sadly, articles on a computer screen.

But I missed the feel of a book. I missed the incredible accomplishment of getting to the other side, stacking up acquired wisdom through page after page of becoming one with the author’s knowledge.

And then I started again.

Rich Dad Poor Dad

No, I’m not pouring through hundreds of pages of fiction while lying on my couch for hours. I may get there some day. But for now, I’m enjoying a little bit here and there of some quality writing. But not just any kind of writing. Writing designed to get me where I want to be in life.

I just completed Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad, after years of countless recommendations. And it was a perfect way to begin yet another step in my journey to get where I want to be in life.

Rich Dad Poor Dad is all about the lessons Kiyosaki learned as a child, comparing his upbringing from his father, a well-educated man who just couldn’t seem to ever have an overflowing bank account, with that of his friend’s wealthy father, who seemed to have money all figured out.

Here are some of the gems of wisdom I picked up along the way:

Rich Dad Poor Dad: Understanding Assets All Wrong

“Rich people acquire assets. The poor and the middle class acquire liabilities that they think are assets.”

This simple concept probably had a greater paradigm shift for me than any other portion of the book, since it so greatly fights against traditional wisdom and definitions.

For the longest time, I understood that an asset was anything in your possession that either had potential value (education) or increased in value (a home). A liability was something that decreased in value over time, which is most possessions.

Kiyosaki, on the other hand, disagrees. He says an asset is only something that earns you money. So unless you’re home exists to earn money, it’s a liability. You paid money for it. You’re constantly putting more money into upkeep and repairs. So unless you’re planning on selling it, or using it as a yoga studio or a basement rental, it’s a liability.

An asset would be something you own that puts money in your pocket, like an office building. Different offices are paying you rent, and money is coming to you monthly.

And you are considered “rich” when the money earned from your assets is enough that if you stopped working tomorrow, you would still be covered for all your needs and expenses.

And that’s the goal. Understanding the goal and the definitions is possibly the most important key to achieving financial independence.

Rich Dad Poor Dad: Money the Wrong Way

“Most people, given money, only get into more debt.”

This concept fascinated me. It’s not complex. It’s actually fully intuitive.

If you lack financial training and knowledge, you don’t know what to do when you possess money. Most think, “If I have ten dollars, I’ll spend ten dollars.” So when they have one hundred dollars, they spend that as well. It’s just money in, money out. There’s no adjustment that would make more money actually in the end equal even more money. It’s just a new version of financial difficulty, with more capital to screw up with.

The rich are smart with their money. The more they have, the more is invested in laying the foundation to make even more. And the cycle never ends.

And that’s the pattern that needs to be broken not only to become rich, but to become even richer. And to stay that way indefinitely!

Rich Dad Poor Dad: Taxing the Rich

“Every time people try to punish the rich, the rich don’t simply comply. They react. They have the money, power, and intent to change things. They don’t just sit there and voluntarily pay more taxes.”

It’s easy to hate the rich for playing the game better than the rest of us do. But let’s be honest: If we ever find ourselves with a hundred million in the bank, we’re probably going to do the same thing as well.

Robert Kiyosaki would not be a fan of people wearing dresses that say “Tax the rich”. In fact, I think he’d laugh at the notion and say something like, “Go ahead and try.” He presents the history of attempts to play Robin Hood, grabbing as much money as possible from wealthy people so the poor out there could have better lives. Unfortunately, more often than not this results in making the lives of the middle class more difficult. And the rich just continue on sipping Pina Coladas on their private beaches, while their brilliant and well-paid accountants find ways for them to keep their hard-earned loot.

Does wishing to tax the rich come from a place of demanding equity… or from a place of jealousy? Hard to tell really… but I can certainly say where I’d like to be in ten years. And whereas I’d be happy if I voluntarily gave a large chunk of cash to many amazing charities, I really could do without forking it all over to the government.

Rich Dad Poor Dad: It Ain’t Gambling

“It is not gambling if you know what you’re doing. It is gambling if you’re just throwing money into a deal and praying.”

Is investing just a high-stakes version of spending a wild night gambling in Vegas?

Yes… and no, not at all.

When you drop a coin into a slot machine or spin a Roulette wheel, you’re leaving the fate of your money to chance. But if you buy a stock or invest in a rental estate, whereas there is and will always be some elements of luck and chance, you change the game entirely when you throw in factors like education, research, and seeking quality advice.

No, you can never know when your thousand dollars will become two million in a month, but you stack the cards forever in your favor by doing the due diligence to make sure you’re not just tossing money into the wind.

Robert Kiyosaki advocates for an extremely strong financial education. If you want to become rich and stay that way, you need to build the financial wisdom and knowledge that will support your goals. Any less, and you will be woefully underprepared for the task at hand.

You stack the cards forever in your favor by doing the due diligence to make sure you're not just tossing money into the wind.
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Breathing a Lot Better in 2021

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Some of you might remember an ill-fated trip to a doctor I took a while back because I was tormenting my poor wife with my incessant snoring. Well, good things definitely came from that post. Yes, of course I had the wonderful release that comes from complaining about the ever-present difficulties that seem to follow around so many of us adult folk. And yes, I learned a major lesson about how not to search for medical professionals in the Holy Land. But more than anything, my post led to a recommendation that began an adventure leading me to where I am now: Breathing better than I ever have in my entire life.

The Real Beginning

About twenty years ago I stepped into a doctor’s office in Israel. I knew I had a complicated relationship with the medical world. But I also knew that I was part of a socialized medicine system. Perhaps now was the best time ever to get this awful obstruction to my breathing taken care of.

I fought my way through the system. At first I was told that the surgery was mainly cosmetic and provided no real benefit. So not only was it not necessary, but it might not be covered by insurance. But I was not yet discouraged. No… that came later. I pushed my way through, and I was told I can get the procedure after resting patiently on a waiting list… for one to two years.

And then and there, I gave up my dream to get this annoying and obstructive nuisance fixed. I basically couldn’t breathe from one nostril, was congested all the time, and couldn’t imagine a world in which I would ever be able to maximize my breathing capability. But I was stuck. If I were in the States, I could get the procedure… for a solid 10-20 thousand dollars. If I were in Israel, I could get the procedure… at some point in an unknown future. A future I couldn’t rely upon, since I could barely predict the next day, let alone what would be happening in two years.

So I just gave up. I decided the pursuit wasn’t worth it. And whatever was bugging me, would bug me forever. It was just a part of my life.

Down the Rabbit Hole

In steps my beautiful and amazing wife, Devorah… who can’t sleep through a tiny cough let alone a five-hour bout of loud and obnoxious snoring. And we take a trip to an ENT, to hop into a rabbit hole that would lead to where I am now.

We started off with an idiot who told us the problem was I’m excessively fat and my wife is too stupid to figure out earplugs.

As brilliant as his insights were, we left discouraged, but with a major lesson learned about the Israeli healthcare system. You don’t step into a doctor’s office in Israel without a recommendation. Even if you have to wait twenty times as long, it is never worth it to just go to someone because they have an available appointment. It’s a one-way street to massive disappointment.

With the lesson learned, we set out to find an actually competent doctor who would start the process that first led me to a sleep study. For the uninitiated, this means one rather odd and uncomfortable night’s sleep with a machine strapped to you that ultimately determines if you have sleep apnea and at what level of severity. Unfortunately, we didn’t learn much, except we definitely found out that if my wife ever wanted to sleep well again, we were going to need to find a different path.

And that’s when I reluctantly looked into surgery… and before I knew it, I would be under the knife in just two months. The insane wait of the past was exactly that: A thing of the past. I’d never had a surgery in my life, and that was very much about to change.

Don't step into a doctor's office in Israel without a recommendation. Even if you have to wait twenty times as long... It's a one-way street to massive disappointment.
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My Hospital Adventure

Here are three things I learned from that very interesting two days in the hospital:

Drugs are amazing! I’m aware I’m a little late to the party on this one… I’m still completely fascinated by the concept of some substance going into your system that makes you entirely clueless to everything happening to and around you. And one that makes you feel like your floating in a beautiful happy cloud when you wake up. I mean, I had a feeling I’d enjoy the drug aspect of the experience. I probably didn’t expect to enjoy things as much as I did.Bring the right partner along for the ride. My wonderful Devorah was there for me every step (or misstep) of the way, and I couldn’t have done any of this without her. For some odd reason, when everything was finished, they gave me some instructions, but wouldn’t allow her to be in the room for them. Yes, they gave the instructions to some bozo who was high as a kite and completely clueless as to anything and everything happening around him. So dopey junkie boy trotted off to the restroom without a care in the world… only to have to sit on the floor, pass out, and call out to his wife. Not a good show on the part of the hospital, but again, I couldn’t imagine going with a more caring and sympathetic partner. I am where I am only because of her!Finally, recovery is a long and complex road. In the days following my surgery, if I laughed or strained, blood would start trickling out of my nose. I was uncomfortable constantly. And as the days progressed, sometimes I felt like I was breathing in air in a way I’d never have before. And other days I felt like I couldn’t breathe at all. My path to where I am now was by no means linear. And even now, on the tail end of recovery, I realize all the time that in many ways my journey is not at all over. It just has a different starting line.Rediscovering Breathing

The other day I was in the gym, and after a hard set, I noticed I was breathing in and out deeply, but only using my mouth. Over the course of the last several decades, I must have gotten so frustrated at what breathing through my nose felt like, that I basically just stopped doing it. And now I have my super-mega-bionic nose, with passageways as clear as they could possibly be, but my brain has yet to really fathom what that means.

Every once in a while, I find myself remembering that I have this new, functional nose. I take in a big, deep breath. And it feels odd. It feels foreign. Yet, it also feels somewhat heavenly.

In many ways, very little has changed in my life post-surgery. My snoring has decreased, but it’s still hanging around. And I’m still not quite ready to be a full-blown nose breather. But in other ways, there’s this small but mighty impact on literally everything I do. You can’t separate breathing from the other actions in your life. So the more I learn to breathe differently, the more my every day will be permanently altered by that half-hour drug fest in Ashdod.

Every moment is a step closer to seeing where this all leads. What an incredible, unexpected, and so very peculiar adventure!

***

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The Jewish People: Not a Nation of Quitters

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In my previous post I lamented about the state of customer service in Israel. Moreover, I spoke about the apathy with which many among the Jewish people approach major issues in Israel. I wanted to pick up on that point, since it’s an important one that I just glossed over. But it truly deserves its own post.

I think it’s important to remind ourselves what Israel is. These are facts that I try to think about all the time. When I walk down the street and someone almost hits me with their car in a crosswalk, and then leans out of his car, and takes a break from his cigarette to scream at me, this isn’t pleasant. This isn’t magical. And this seems to be the life I lead, every single day.

Nevertheless, the jerk in the car and his revolting behavior don’t detract in the slightest from what Israel is and what it should mean to any intelligent observer.

The Jewish People and Unending Hope

The Jewish People were cast from their homeland a couple of thousand years ago. I can just imagine what it must be like a year or two later, still clinging to the hope that a big return to Israel is imminent. Still praying for an enormous turnaround.

What about ten or twenty years later? Fifty, a hundred, a thousand? At what point do you give up hope?

If there’s ever been a lesson to learn from Jewish History, the answer is never. It’s never a good time to lose faith that better times are coming. They could be around the corner, or they could take a thousand years. But losing hope is not an option. And moving toward a century after our glorious return to Israel, the world should be inspired to know that absolutely anything is possible.

From Hope to War

And what did it look like when we finally got our country back, against all odds?

We fought a war against those who would rather see us drown in the sea than have our own land among theirs. We had nothing. We were weak nobodies whose people had just endured arguably the most cataclysmic tragedy in world history.

And we emerged victorious!

We absolutely should not have won. We should have been swarmed upon from every side. We should have been overwhelmed into quick submission. But that’s not even close to what happened. Despite having no chance of victory, we won and we won decisively. And thus the Jewish People, after waiting mostly patiently throughout two millennia, was finally home.

The Hard Road Ahead

But the work was by no means done yet!

What was the road ahead of us?

We needed to take a land that had been neglected for hundreds of years, a land whose primary purpose since we left was being the staging grounds for massive battles and bloodshed. And what did we do with a wasteland of thorns and dust? We worked together, tirelessly, draining swamps and building homes. And we emerged on the other side of the impossible a prosperous and formidable nation.

We could have settled for utter mediocrity. We could have been content being a nation that’s just slightly better than not being massacred by our former neighbors and friends. But we wouldn’t have it. We fought and slaved away to create a great nation, a nation that is enviable. A nation that can inspire anyone to realize that even against all odds, great things can happen. All you need to do is work really hard and never lose an ounce of hope.

But then we became complacent.

And here we are.

Can it be better?

The Nazis battled the world and came close to conquering it. And now they are reduced to rubble while the Jewish people are massively prosperous. But we throw our hands up and say there’s no chance people could ever be friendly or pleasant in an Israeli store?

We overcame the worst odds history has ever known. Returned to our homeland when any reasonable person would have said the thought is utterly impossible. But now we proudly exclaim, “That’s just the way it is.” We even pride ourselves in having such nonchalant attitudes. Acceptance of such mediocrity has become the hallmark of successful aliyah. The rest are just complainers who should go back to their home countries if they don’t like the way it is here.

I object. I so stringently object.

The Jewish People: Not a Nation of Quitters
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This is not a nation of people who should “go back home”. It’s supposed to be home. And that home is supposed to be a place we all work together to make unbelievably fantastic. It’s not some idiot’s ashtray or another moron’s excuse for mistreating people different from himself. It’s supposed to be the center of the world for the Jewish people. The entire Jewish people, even those who don’t like the way things are at the moment.

Good Enough is Not Our Way

To think the best path to a successful integration into the country is acceptance that the way things are is the way they always will be is not only incorrect. It’s downright dangerous. It means we’ve ceased to be the people who got us here in the first place! It means we’ve collectively decided that we conquered adversity only to accept a subpar, excessively mediocre life.

We spent decades growing and getting better, only to later on just stop our progress right in its path in order to proudly exclaim, “We’re more than satisfied with just being good enough.”

But good enough is not our way. Our ancestors didn’t accept death over conversion or perish at the hands of countless aggressors to get us to good enough. The previous generation didn’t bleed on the battlefield so we could be just slightly around average. And I believe those who suffered or worse so we could be here today would be ill if they heard any of us giving up and accepting any of our lackings as being permanent fixtures of our national identity.

Believing we can’t do better is not who we are. It’s not the preferred attitude. It’s not some noble and lofty place that allows you to look down upon the dissatisfied.

No, such lack of faith is shameful. And completely not the Jewish way.

We can do better. And we should. And if we work together, we can make anything happen.

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Israel and the Customer Service Conundrum

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Customer service in the Holy Land is not famous for being all that good. In fact, it’s downright awful here. So much so that when we get the bare minimum of civil treatement, we do cartwheels with excitement.

We post online that the waitress was friendly and smiled repeatedly. That the store actually gave us a refund for the defective item we purchased. Or that the person on the phone helped us right away without sending us to twelve other people. And we brag with glee about all of this, forgetting that we’ve set the bar so abysmally low.

And more often than not we just accept that the terrible customer service in Israel doesn’t need to be this way.

The Bad Customer Service Threshold

But as bad as it is, it’s still something that, for the most part, most of us are able to get used to.

That is, until that moment comes that exceeds your threshold. That moment when you wonder what the hell is really wrong with the people here and you just want to storm out of the country forever.

Recently my wife sent me back to a local nut store to return a couple of items whose seal was broken when we purchased them. On the phone, they seemed quite amicable. They said to come in and return the products, and the faithful husband took a Friday morning trek out to the wilderness to make things right.

I want to stress that I believe that, even in Israel, people will be calmer if you are friendly and non-confrontational. So I was as polite and calm as I could possibly be when making my request. And they were basically receptive.

However, my wife wished to exchange what we were returning for the same product with different packaging. This particular product was not expensive, and the prices of the two items were identical. And my wife feared getting the exact same product again, because perhaps all their seals were defective. But the woman running the store flat out refused.

She dug her heels deep into the ground, yelling at me and saying you can only exchange for the exact same item. Or saying I can open it there in the store to check the seal… during a heatwave, where I can walk home with my prematurely opened item rapidly spoiling in the oppressive sun. She even went so far as to accuse us of staging the whole thing, just because we wanted the other item and not the original one purchased.

After I made my point, and she argued with my wife on the phone, the final stage of the story happened. My wife asked me to quickly take a picture of the seals on the items we were returning. As I was trying to get this ready, the owner started closing them and grabbed them away from me. She exclaimed, “These are mine now. You can’t take pictures of them.”

I left the store. Shocked and unnerved.

And the lovely little nut shop lost a couple of customers that day.

Israel’s Relationship to Customer Service

I’ve spent the last four years trying to wrap my head around Israel’s customer service. And I’m still not quite clear on why it’s still so damn bad. But I like to look at it from two perspectives: The store owners and the store customers.

This woman made an objectively bad choice. They have no advertising, so the only way people get there is by word of mouth. And word of mouth comes only through people having a positive experience in her store, one they wish to share with others. We’ve spent hundreds upon hundreds of shekels in this store, and suggested it to many others as well. Yet they made a conscious choice to leave all that behind. Who in their right mind would do such a thing?

My only guess: The average obnoxious Israeli who runs a store would rather leave all the money in the world behind if it meant changing their nature, even if just slightly. If they want to be rude and unhelpful, it’s like the lost revenue is a fee they’re shelling out so they can be themselves without thought of change. I’ve often wondered what would happen if these types of owners were approached with a miracle method to gain more customers and make more money. What’s the big secret? All they’d need to do is smile and be polite. How would they react to such a fantastic deal?

I’ve always assumed they’d say, “No thank you.” It’s actually not worth it to them.

What About Us?

But what about the customers? I think it’s our fault too.

Shortly after the experience, my wife wrote on Facebook (ill-advised) asking for ways to deal with the experience. One of the first responders told her to calm down. He said that it’s just the way it is here, and the quicker she gets used to it, the happier she’ll be.

He had a point… and yet I still wanted to vomit on him then and there.

There are thousands of people roaming through this country who have absolutely given up on the possibility that things could be better. They have an intense defense mechanism in which they tell themselves that their love of the Holy Land is all that matters, and the lackluster customer service is just another thing one must endure to be a part of the magic that is the Land of Israel.

And those people, whether they like it or not, are 100% a part of the problem.

Nothing in this world has ever been solved by giving in and giving up. There is a solution. If we reward those who treat us well, and stay clear of those who don’t, those who suck will be forced to wake up to the reality that if they don’t change, they will no longer have a business.

Will it happen quickly? Not in the slightest. Change is rarely an overnight process. But change doesn’t occur through “calming down” and just getting used to “the way things are”. Change comes when we all work together and make a conscious decision that something needs to improve, and we won’t rest until that improvement finally happens.

Israel’s Antiquated Libel Laws

And, very sadly, even the country itself has blocked one of the greatest tools we all have to effect great change: Our free speech.

People are afraid to speak out when wronged by a store or an institution. Israel’s libel laws are antiquated and somehow favor the owners of these cruddy establishments. So if I were to go on Twitter or a Facebook group and complain about the way we were treated, the store owner would have every right to sue me. And they’d probably win. And that’s absolutely regardless of the veracity of my statements or whether or not others have similar claims.

So the greatest tool in modern times is denied us. But on that I say two things:

a. Other tools exist, and giving up and letting the customer service stay awful in perpetuity is so obviously the wrong choice. Whatever is within our power to do, we have the obligation to do. For the sake of our own sanity, and for the sake of the progression of this country we wish to love so much. Just stopping to shop in places with lousy customer service is already a great step in the right direction.

b. Furthermore, just because the laws are not in our favor regarding free speech, does not mean this needs to stay that way forever. Laws change. And they change because well-intentioned people stood up and said things can’t go on like this forever. Sitting around and letting things just be the way they are is by definition not the Israeli way. The country wouldn’t be here if it were!

We should all be blessed to soak in the great parts of this nation of ours. But we should also have the wisdom to see where it needs to improve, and the strength to fight tooth and nail to make those changes happen!

Israel and the Customer Service Conundrum
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Toward a Great Life: Standing on the Ashes of 2020

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So… I’m back.

Did you miss me?

It’s been an odd deal, being away from writing as long as I was. It almost feels like life, temporarily, was something I wasn’t even trying to understand.

Normally I look at everything I see and do, from the news to the crazy Israeli in the store trying to ruin my day, and I immediately think to myself: If I were to tell this story, and I wanted to draw a conclusion from what I experienced, how would I present my thoughts and feelings right here on this blog?

The Month Away

But I just spent the past month thinking: How can I make the header and the signup forms better? How can I get the images I want to look the way I want them to look, and show up when and where I want them to? And a hundred other questions, many of which I’m nowhere near finding answers for.

And even though these are all important questions, and I know I’ll take greater pride in this site if it looks nicer and gets more attention, the lack of writing in my life was very real. And now as I start clicking away on the keyboard again, it’s like my eyes have opened a teeny bit wider. I’m no longer just allowed to be a silent observer of the world.

I need to observe, and I need to observe carefully. And I need to try with all my power to understand all the craziness and express that understanding to the best of my ability.

Not a simple task! But I’m so glad I’m doing it again. I’m so glad I’m ready to put that back on my shoulders, because without this, my life feels just ever-so-slightly emptier.

And I can’t have that any longer! (Even though I still really want to get the images to look better!)

45th Year of My Life

We’re now in the 45th year of my life.

Circumstances made the previous year very challenging. Believe it or not, Corona was just one piece to a very big pie.

I had a lot of hope for the year, and bits and pieces of those hopes were realized. Many others fell behind.

So what are my choices?

I can pout about last year. Wallow in my difficulties, beat myself up about unrealized accomplishments, and just go to sleep depressed that it wasn’t what I was expecting it to be.

I can cling to hope. I can beg and plead from the universe that all of the complex impediments in my life will simply fall to the wayside, and I will have a beautiful, smooth trip ahead of me. Replete with only good thoughts, and even better results.

Go to Hell 2020

Or I could forget last year. I mean, let’s be honest. The challenges of 2020 will be spoken about for generations to come. They’ll poke their way into history books. Our children will talk about Corona the way we speak about 9/11. But remove the insanity we call Corona from the equation, and 2020 might be the most forgettable year of any of our lives.

For an entire year of my life, I dreaded when people asked me, “What’s new?” The only honest answer, over and over again, was, “Nothing. Absolutely nothing is new. I’ve seen monotony on a scale I never imagined possible in my life.”

So the final choice is to forget 2020 even happened. Move past the 44th year of my life as if it were some sort of drunken blackout, to be dwelled upon as little as possible.

And that’s the choice I’m making.

The Illusion of Post-Corona

Yes, I know that things aren’t great right now. But, if you live in certain countries, it’s very tempting to think of the world as being post-Corona. And for the most part, I’m back in the flow of normal life. And I’d like to preserve the illusion that it’s either going to stay the way it is now for a while, or steadily get better all the time.

So here I am, living it up like it’s 2019. Not exactly pretending like 2020 never happened. More like pretending 2020 is a burnt-down house. I’m demolishing the remains, standing on its ashes, and rebuilding as if nothing was ever there.

I had goals for the previous year of my life. 2020 was, if nothing else, a year of non-stop contemplation. Those goals haven’t gone anywhere. Some of them are at the forefront of my mind like nothing’s changed. Others are going to slip back to the back of my mind. And new goals will have wormed their way in and changed the whole game.

Toward a Great Life: Standing on the Ashes of 2020
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Life is Different Now

After all, life’s different now. Everything’s different all the time. Since I created those goals that could upset or even haunt me, I’ve learned how to chew food properly and shed a ton of weight as a result. I’ve experienced my first surgery… and the joy of anesthesia. I’ve forged new relationships, and I’ve watched from the sidelines as people I care about left this world.

I’m not the same person I was a year ago. Same great looks… but a different me. A more complex soul, if you will. And that complicated soul has no interest in crying over the past.

I embrace the adventures ahead. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I know by the time my next birthday rolls around, my life might be unrecognizable. My breathing will be a completely different phenomenon. Some health issues will be long gone, while other new ones will creep their way into my endlessly aging system. My son will be done with high school and inches away from serving in the Israeli Army.

A Little Older

I will be a little older. A little smarter, and probably a little dumber as well. And hopefully I’ll have experienced a bit more of the insanity we call life. I will have done irresponsible things and I’ll have had unforgettable experiences and I’ll have had a couple of nights here and there when I drank just a little too much.

I will not have another 2020.

Even if the world tries to throw one at me.

This year’s going to be amazing. It’s going to be action-packed.

And I’m going to have a heck of a lot to write about!

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