Author: d.j. posner

Innocent Until Proven Guilty

There’s been a homicide down in Shangri-la, and Pearl Bailey is a prime suspect. Don’t be fooled by her bashful eye movements, it’s only her attempt at feigning a look of innocence!

On our morning stroll to do business, I was down in the back yard with Pearl Bailey when I discovered a gaping hole that at first glance appeared to be the size of the Grand Canyon! Setting her past discretions aside, I KNOW Pearl Bailey is behind the caper. Her sidekick, Ella, could not have done it – the hole was ten-times the size of Ella’s whole body. This leads me to believe that as innocent as Pearl Bailey professes to be, she had to have dug the hole. Yet, she’s not talking!

The hole in question once contained a lovely miniature Bird of Paradise plant that blossomed twice a year. It was sweetly placed at the bottom of the deck steps and made for a warm welcome to the grounds. Now, that plant has apparently been murdered because even though there is no corpse to be found, the hole left behind is clear and conclusive evidence.

I am guilt shaming Pearl Bailey this afternoon although she still remains silent and pleading her innocence through each glance. I am sticking to her like glue and not letting up on my interrogation.

Believe me, I’ll get the truth out of her if it’s the last thing I do.

The Art of Human Kindness

Mankind, we are a fallible sort. We demonstrate our imperfectness every day. For all the many things we do right, the counterbalance is our disregard to what is outside our door.

This country was built on the backs of immigrants. To be born an American is to have descended from a foreign soul who arrived on this soil not knowing the language and customs of the new frontier they faced.

This post is not about the politics concerning borders and illegal aliens, it is about the need to expand our brotherhood and instill more kindness in the world just by opening our hearts. I believe that the most important responsibility we have is to teach our children so that our ignorance, however benign it was, is not passed down. To inform about past atrocities that have occurred in the world is charting the course to, not only educate their minds, but to soften their hearts to the human community around them.

When I ask for enlightenment in my daily intentions, I ask for the next generation to re-balance the life they are given so that it is heavily-weighted in acts of kindness and awareness.

The Biggest News of 2020

The Professor’s cousin/brother and his wife, also our best friends, are expectant Grandparents. Their one and only, an enchanting girl child, is with child herself. This is a glorious event in my circle.

I call this child, Baby Bella, there is a story behind that handle but for another time. My best girlfriend/cousin wife shared her daughter with me in everyway. Baby Bella waltzed into my life when she was just 8 years old. She took to me immediately and I recognized her heart without exception. Watching her grow and mature like a sturdy oak tree has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Sharing all the monumental events in her life – her Confirmation, her Sweet Sixteen, her falling in love, and her taking her vows at the altar – this devout and captivating child allowed me to witness it from front row center.

The remarkable and extraordinary element to my being the recipent of this unexpected life gift was that my girlfriend had just finished chemo as she battled through breast cancer; a time in life when one might hold on tightly to their one and only child. Instead, she drew me, a childless soul, into her daughter’s life and together we celebrated each up and down, just like sisters.

Now, this new mom-to-be is holding a gender reveal this morning. A creative new-age event where everyone shares in the surprise! Great news in my world is about to happen, I am waiting to hear.

p.s. IT’S A GIRL!

There’s Voo Doo Going On in Shangri-la

Merle the Squirrel has been quiet lately. He has made appearances down in Pearl Bailey’s Shangri-La but no taunting has been displayed. Perhaps this is why Pearl Bailey stayed so clean for so long, she didn’t feel it necessary to don a disguise!

This morning Merle made an appearance. It was eerily silent down in Pearl Bailey’s mystical, harmonious garden so I decided I better take a look. I found Pearl Bailey and her cohort, Ella, transfixed under a palm gazing up at none other than Merle the Squirrel (who can be seen in the far upper right corner of the photograph in silhouette). But what has Merle brought with him? What is that strange orb and why are my girls so still instead of being shrieking banshees?

I think Merle has returned with some sort of voodoo sorcery in an effort to cast a spell over his nemisis Pearl Bailey (and I guess Ella is just collateral damage). Anyhoo, my girls sat transfixed and staring as if under a spell for the good part of five minutes. Whatever witchery or black magic that Merle has brought with him this fine morning, I am ok with since there is no incessant barking involved in the wee hours of the morning!

And, anytime there is no barking, the Professor is eerily subdued too, which means no bellowing from the bedroom upstairs. All in all, this hocus-pocus is welcomed as I go about my start of a beautiful morning in paradise!

Happy Friday readers!

Spreading Love With No Expectations

I am always seeking to report stories about splendid people who personify kindness and unconditional love. I needn’t look futher than the story of Curtis Jenkins from Dallas Texas. His story left me with tears of joy and a grin on my face as wide as the State of Texas itself.

As I read the story of Mr. Jenkins, I studied his magnificent face of mahoghany colored skin and blazing white teeth. I immediately got lost in his soulful eyes. A tower of a man with hands as big as mitts, his exterior hid the kind heart that lay within his body.

Mr. Jenkins is a school bus driver. Some might scoff and say that job is menial, yet Mr. Jenkins (and the parents of the children he carries) see it as anything but… Despite the early morning hours of his pick-ups, and the weather sours he has to contend with, Mr. Jenkins has made it his purpose to turn his job into a teaching moment for ‘his kids’. He treats the students he carries like a family, and from that he has assigned responsibilities to each child that rides with him. Take for example, he has assigned counselor jobs, cleanup officers, safety patrols, etc. These assignments earn the students “bus bucks”. It is a teaching system devised by a humble man in order to fulfill a daily presence in these young lives.

Curtis Jenkins is a deeply devout married man who is doing important work. The most important is the talk he gives in front of the bus every morning. In his great oratory voice that takes on the quality of an impassioned pastor, Mr. Jenkins guides the children with statements like ‘Walk with purpose’, ‘Everyone deserves a chance’, and ‘Never count anyone out’.

His assessment of his life’s path is simple and spiritual: “I’m always walking in the light of whatever God has asked me to do.”

I say Mr. Jenkins is a modern day super hero and his investment in these children is breeding in them all the leadership skills this next generation will need to soar foward. Bravo Mr. Jenkins, you inspire us all!

Eyes Wide Open

  • I like real conversations with genuine people.
  • I like poems, and stories, and journal entries.
  • I like Friday nights.
  • I like the ritual of drinking tea and how it soothes me.
  • I like text messages.
  • I like the feeling of intimacy and where it takes me.
  • I like sharing all things, it is the greatest of all my likes.

Why am I telling you all this? Visiting and rejoicing with the things that you take pleasure in returns you to a place of appreciation and recognition. That’s a serving of gratitude on a silver platter!

Rather than criticizing others, we should instead criticize ourselves. By critiquing our pride, our attachments, our anger and jealousy, we can build a stronger discipline with ourselves which leads to a greater spiritual awakening of our soul.

His Holiness, Dalai Lama

Great While It Lasted!

I guess I spoke too soon. Although, I can’t figure out how Pearl Bailey KNOWS when I write about her. I mean, she must have sensed something was up with me going on and on yesterday about her clean streak. Because when she returned this morning from her morning duties, this is what I was met with! How in the world does she get such intricate patterns on her beautiful face? And why? It’s like she met face-to-face with a charcoal bin that was hiding a gecko inside!

It never ceases to amaze me how intuitive this dog is. Let me tell you, even from a dead-sleep Pearl Bailey is instantly aware if I open up the freezer door…ice cream is a term NEVER spoken out loud in this household.

And, her ability to lay back when the pizza comes out of the oven? How does she know that the timing is not right because the temperature is too hot? Instead she lays in close proximity and waits until sufficient time has passed then she sidles up and plants herself beside my chair knowing that some of the uneaten crust is coming her way.

I guess we picked an intelligent dog when we picked Pearl Bailey. (Or maybe she picked us thinking the Professor and me as easy marks.) Sure, she has a pedigree and Ph.D. diploma in dog demeanor but I believe it goes beyond that. Pearl Bailey is just one of those knowing souls. Her instincts are finely honed and her devotion to me is paramount despite our comical pull at each other’s wits.

I have no choice but to keep her. One thing is for sure, I’m glad I’m not a betting man and I didn’t bet on her clean streak lasting. I would have lost my shirt!

Pearl Bailey’s Peculiar Behavior

Pearl Bailey has been behaving in the most strange way. This deviation from her normal demeanor began right before Christmas. Anticipating visitors stopping in over the holidays, I took the girls to the groomer on the 23rd of December. When I returned to collect them, I was met with gleaming silky pelts and the heavenly aroma of freshly coifed dogs! I am sure you do not doubt me when I say I lectured to her all the way home, ‘Please Pearl Bailey, stay clean for me, it’s lovely to be fresh, you will get more treats if you stay clean.’ Yes, I am not above bribery!

Well, don’t you know my sermon to her must have stuck (I know, shocking, right?) for Miss Pearl Bailey kept herself neat and clean for a record-breaking four weeks!

The next shocking change to her demeanor occurred one night in early January and included an accomplice. A surprise visit from her cousin, Blu, had her playing quite frisky with this young-buck. All I can say is there was a lot of butt smelling going on. Well, the adults decided a meal out was the best option for our dinner, so we left the dogs freshly fed and walked and snoozing in their beds. When we returned two hours later something big had gone down. The cushions and pillows on the sofa were disheveled, and the living room was disarrayed every which-way. Pearl Bailey was panting in short gasps as after exertion; Blu had a smile on his face about as wide as the Mississippi! And, Ella was pretending she was asleep. Something went down, but I guess I will never know what. Sister was right when she said “You need a Nanny Cam!”

When the family left heading back north, things returned to a normal routine, I thought for sure Pearl Bailey would resort to her old ways. I was certain she had a date with dirt pile somewhere in her near future. I was wrong. The flu paid a visit to our house next stop and took the Professor and I down for the count. All the while we were moaning, hacking and sneezing, she must have sensed something, for she remained lovingly nearby with a coat of pure white snow.

Today, January 26th – a full month of days have passed from the date of her beauty appointment – yet, she still remains clean. I don’t understand it. Don’t get me wrong, I am delighted and actually thinking of cancelling the housekeeping service, but hey…I can’t be sure if this peculiar behavior is going to last!

I’m still going to call Guinness World Records and see if she is eligible for nomination!

20-20 Vision

January, the first month of the year 2020, went past like a freight train on tight schedule. In the first days of the month I was delivered a surprise visit from my sister and family, nothing better than that! The next set of days that past had the Professor and I down with the Lucasian Flu, sick as dogs and traveling for work…whew glad that annoyance is over! And these final days that are upon me now were presented to get life back on task, the cleaning up of the aftermath!

All of these life’s distractions and their encumbrances have left me desperate to get back on the spiritual wagon. As a creative being, I have imbedded within me the need to create. It seems the spark that lives inside of me is always hungry.

In 2020, I have some friends who are facing monumental changes in their lives. I want to convey to them that there is grace in every moment we live. Find time each morning for meditations that include thoughts of something wonderful happening. That mantra will get you to step out of your own head for the day and into a mindset of happy anticipation. Good medicine for the body and the soul. I, for one, plan on staying heavily meditative!

I am excited about the new chances coming. I will throw my arms open and embrace them all. I intend to surround myself with people that push me to do and be better. No drama or mess, just higher goals and higher vibrations. I believe that if we dispel jealousy and hate and spread positive energy, we will simply bring out the best in each other.

Today, January 25th, marks the celebration of Chinese New Year 2020; the year of the Metal Rat. This symbolizes new beginnings; fertility, wealth and plenty. It also delivers stability and longevity and the ability to turn unlucky events into fortune! I like everything about these notions!

So bring on your next month 2020 – I can ‘see’ clearly now, I got my vision adjusted!

Look forward to 2020

I love this old photo of my granddaughter – I love her little foot skipping up in glee and the coy smile on her face. She is looking forward with a rainbow framing her thoughts. I thought it so appropriate for this post for a myriad of reasons. For one, she is the next generation coming up – a generation which will surely have to ‘look forward’ in order to be positioned to tackle the huge issues we will leave on the table for them.

2020 starts another decade. In this decade, I am interested in bettering the world we live in by preaching, cajoling, urging and advocating for more kindness and caring to be spread to others. It sounds so simple, but we are humans and subject to human emotions getting in the way. I hope to find a way to promote this magic mantra until it seeps into the pores of all I encounter. Just think of the momentum! One extends a hand to a stranger, and next the stranger befriends another, who in turn blesses one less fortunate, and so on and so on! What a magnificent way of life; and the feeling it leaves in one’s heart? Wow!

I am still working on my annual published thoughts for the New Year. The year-end distractions to my schedule have delayed my usual process. But I hope this post beautifully illustrated by this charming photo reaches you and opens your mind to expanding your heart. And if it does, 2020 should be a very good vintage!